Call to Arms
by Sapphire Insanity
Summary: The Chosen One is the one called upon to maintain peace and balance, the one who protects Pokémon and people alike. When the Legendary Pokémon are attacked, the only one who can save them from themselves is the one who is destined to help them. First in the Call of the Chosen series.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Time for a new story! I've been working on this for some time now and, as of about a month ago, it is currently complete and in the process of getting edited. Hopefully that means that I'll get it out fairly quickly, but no promises… I tend to forget things and allow time to run away with me. This will be the first book in a series, so I hope you all enjoy.

 **PLEASE NOTE:** At this stage, there is no shipping planned for this story, nor any subsequent stories in this series. _HOWEVER_ , there may be a few moments that may _imply_ shipping, or may outright state that one character has feelings for another. If there _is_ any shipping, it would be Pokéshipping, but I honestly don't want to write a romance. As such, any shipping will be left as implied, and you're all more than welcome to take what you will from anything you read

 **Chapter One;**

There was an odd feeling in the air.

Ash noticed it the moment he woke up that morning. It made him quiet as he listened to something that he couldn't quite understand, and there was such a terrible feeling of _wrongness_ everywhere that he couldn't muster a smile for anything at all, no matter how many times the people around him tried to coax one out of him.

It was how he had managed to find himself here, waiting for Professor Oak's door to open. Worried by her son's odd attitude, Delia had all but shoved him out of the house and dragged him up the road, hoping that being surrounded by his Pokémon might help him.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu said quietly, huddling on Ash's shoulder; he, too, had noticed that something was up with the world today, but he was more worried, right now, about his trainer.

Slowly, Ash raised his hand to rest in on Pikachu's back reassuringly, but he didn't know whether he was trying to comfort the Pokémon or himself. He shuddered slightly, wishing this weird, awful feeling would just go away already.

All of a sudden, the door opened, just as Delia was reaching out to ring the doorbell again. Dishevelled and apologetic, Professor Oak's expression cleared at the sight of them, evidently happy to see them.

"Ash, Delia!" he said joyfully. "What a pleasant surprise to see the both of you! Come on in!"

"Is everything alright, Professor?" Delia asked, eyeing the state he was in.

"Yes, yes, I've just been doing some studies on Electric type Pokémon, and Rotom got a little excited about it all," Professor Oak said with a sheepish laugh. His eyes lit up. "Since you're here, Ash, perhaps I could ask if Pikachu could also help out with the study?"

It took a moment for the words to process as they moved sluggishly through Ash's mind. He blinked and rubbed his forehead.

"…Pikachu?" he asked, brow furrowing. "Uh, sure, if Pikachu's okay with it?"

Professor Oak frowned, gazing at Ash. Now that he looked closer, he could see that there was something not quite right with the young man today. He glanced at Delia, taking in her concerned expression, and he suddenly understood why they were both here.

Luckily, however, he thought that he had the remedy for whatever the problem was.

"Well, we can see about that later," he said, voice perhaps a little too enthusiastic. "It's almost lunch, and I have some guests that stopped by here first, correctly deducing that you would make your way here today, Ash."

Ash's gaze focused a little, and curiosity took over the thoughtful and despondent expression on his face. Delia beamed at Professor Oak in thanks.

"Guests?" Ash asked.

"Come through to the living room," Professor Oak encouraged. "They've only been here for about half an hour, and they're eager to see you."

Ash brightened a little. He wasn't a fool, and he had a feeling that he knew exactly who Professor Oak was talking about; there would be no sense to be so mysterious about Tracey wanting to see him, since the young man was always here. At the very least, he knew who one of his visitors was, because she was the only one he could think of who could possibly be free to travel to see him.

Pikachu all but confirmed it when his face lit up as they got closer, catching a scent that he hadn't smelled in a long while.

"Pikachipi!" he cried as he leapt off Ash's shoulder and dashed the rest of the distance to the living room.

Ash couldn't help but grin, and he quickened his step, arriving just in time to see Pikachu jump into the arms of a very familiar red-head. She looked up and beamed at him.

"Hello, Ash, it's been awhile," Misty said cheerfully. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't come by today."

"Nah, I knew he'd get here eventually," another familiar voice said, an arm slinging itself around Ash's shoulders. Ash looked up to grin at Gary Oak. "Though I thought you'd be here already when we arrived!"

"Gary, Misty," Ash said, and words couldn't explain the happiness that he was feeling, temporarily washing away the inexplicable misery that had dogged him since he woke that morning. "It's good to see you both. What are you doing here?"

"My sisters are doing a ballet this week, so the gym is temporarily closed," Misty explained. "I thought I'd come and visit since I heard from your mother that you were home."

"I'm on a short break," Gary added. "So I decided to come home and help Gramps out for a bit. I met Red here on the road."

Misty rolled her eyes. "He caught up to me just outside Viridian City, and I told him that you were back in Pallet Town."

"I'm glad you're both here," Ash said, heart-felt. It had been so long since he had seen any of his old friends. It was always so sad to part with the friends he had made on the road, and encounters like this only served to remind him that goodbyes weren't forever. "Why did you come here to wait for me, Misty?"

"It wasn't really just to wait for you," Misty said with a laugh. "I came to show Tracey how Azumarill is doing."

It took a moment for that sentence to sink in. When it did, Ash's eyes lit up. "Azurill evolved?"

"Sure did," Misty said proudly. "Tracey's Marrill is very proud of her. She's a very good battler."

"She would get a lot of experience at that gym of yours," Gary said, amused. He lowered his arm from Ash's shoulders and stared down at his friend. "Hey, Ash, you alright? You look a little tired."

It was like a switch was flipped. All of a sudden, Ash remembered the strange air that had wrapped around him all day, and his shoulders hunched slightly, making Gary and Misty shared a startled, concerned glance. Pikachu's ears slumped as he stared sadly at his trainer.

"Ash?" Misty asked cautiously.

"Sorry, I just…" Ash's brow furrowed. "Something is really wrong."

"Like what, honey?" Delia asked; she had been standing at the door with Professor Oak, watching the friends' reunion gratefully, but now she stepped forward. This was more than she had gotten out of Ash all morning.

Ash turned a troubled gaze on her. "I don't know. I can't explain it."

"The Pokémon have been acting like something is concerning them, as well," Professor Oak said, frowning. "A good many of them refused to eat this morning."

"Pikachu and Mr Mime were uneasy, too," Delia said, clasping her hands in front of her. "But why is Ash feeling the same way as the Pokémon?"

No one answered, instead looking at each other uneasily. No one, least of all Ash, quite knew what to say to that. Worried, Misty looked down at Pikachu, who was watching his trainer with eyes that seemed to know far more than he was saying. With a jolt, she was reminded of the Orange Islands all of a sudden, during a time when Pikachu had looked like that just before they were thrown into one of their most perilous adventures, one that had the entire world at stake.

Before anyone could say anything, however, the door on the other side of the room was thrown open, making everyone jump. The sight of Tracey rushing into the room, a comically frantic look on his face, was a welcome change from the seriousness that had permeated the room, though Ash barely twitched after his initial start.

"Professor, the Tauros…!" he started, careening to a halt when he noticed that they had two new guests. "Oh, Mrs Ketchum, Ash, I didn't expect to see you!"

"Hello, Tracey," Delia said kindly, smiling at him. 

"Is there a problem, Tracey?" Professor Oak asked.

"Yes, unfortunately," Tracey said, grimacing as he was brought back to the initial reason that he had rushed inside. "The Tauros are stampeding; it seems that Charizard and Arcanine were having a mock battle, and they accidentally startled them."

Gary grimaced; it seemed one of his Pokémon was involved in this mess, along with one of Ash's. The two of them were quite powerful, so there was no doubt that their 'mock battle' wouldn't have ended well for anyone that accidentally got in the way.

All of a sudden, there was an explosion from outside, followed by the startled, alarmed cries of various Pokémon. Professor Oak looked sharply at the window as a cloud of dust rushed past.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I think we better find out," Gary said grimly.

Ash didn't answer, he had already turned on his heel and rushed out of the room. All his Pokémon were out there, so there was no way that he was going to turn a blind eye, especially on today of all days.

Not when he had been on tenterhooks the last several hours, just waiting for something to go wrong.

When he burst out onto the preserve, it was to discover that pandemonium had taken control in the moments that Tracey was gone. It wasn't even being caused by Ash's herd of Tauros; he could spy them through the smoke and clouds of dust, huddling together in the way that they normally did only if there was a threat of some sort nearby. He could hear some sort of odd whirring noise, too, though he couldn't see what was causing it.

All of a sudden, a large, rubber arm that was all too familiar shot out of the smoke and grabbed a fleeing Wooper before withdrawing. Ash blinked… and then sighed.

He should have known it was them…

"Excellent work, Meowth," he heard Jessie say approvingly, and he could see the outline of whatever machine it was that they were using today as the air cleared. "This job is a cinch!"

"The only thing that it would make it better was if the twerp and his Pikachu were here," the cat Pokémon lamented.

"Last we saw, the twerp was at home," James said dismissively. "We can go after him once we get these Pokémon."

Well, it seemed like Team Rocket was behind the times; then again, his mother _had_ rushed him out of the house fairly quickly in her attempt to cheer him up. Glancing at his Tauros again, he grinned slightly as he got an idea.

The only thing his friends caught as they rushed outside after him was the back of him as he dashed toward the Tauros; he had rushed off too quickly for them to react in time, and it had been a moment before they had realised that he was already gone. Unlike for Ash, it was immediately apparent to them what was going on. The air had cleared enough that they got a very good view of the fat, Snorlax robot that was scooping up Pokémon and storing them in a fortified, clear container on its back. Through the window on the face of the robot, it was clear to see who was driving the thing.

"Team Rocket!" Misty yelled, furious; after all these years, these idiots were _still_ following Ash around? Despite the fact that she had once taken it as a common occurrence, in much the same way that Ash still did, a long absence from them had made it seem strange when they _did_ appear again. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Look, it's the redheaded twerp!" Meowth cackled. "We haven't seen you in some time!"

"Look at her, ready to release that Pikachu on us," Jessie sneered.

"Boy, Pikachu looks mad, doesn't he?" James commented blithely. "Too bad, we have all your friends and there's nothing you can do about it!"

There was a sudden pause. And then…

" _Pikachu_?!" the three members of Team Rocket suddenly screeched.

"Wait, what's Pikachu doing here?!" Meowth demanded.

"Pikachu and Ash are here to visit me," Professor Oak said, displeased.

"Wait… then where's the twerp?" James asked, dread in his expression as he exchanged glances with his companions.

"Tauros, use Take Down!"

"I think you're just about to find out," Gary said smugly. "This is what happens when you don't take the herd of thirty Tauros _first_."

Upon seeing that their trainer was here, the Tauros had been overjoyed to see him, and more than eager to go along with the plan that he had to deal with the commotion. For them, it was simple; all they had to do was ram the robot as hard as they could at the same time. No doubt the robot had been strengthened to deal with all manner of attacks; unfortunately, sheer brute strength had never really factored into the plans.

Riding the Tauros in the lead, Ash's teeth flashed in a vicious grin as he led his Pokémon in the charge, more than ready to deal with the group that were trying to steal all the Pokémon on the preserve. It was the last thing Team Rocket saw of him before the Tauros disappeared into their blind spot.

Seconds later, the entire robot shuddered and, to their alarm, tipped over as the legs were taken out, the metal standing no chance against the powerful attack of thirty Tauros. Team Rocket shrieked, the clear backing of the robot shattering under the impact and releasing all the Pokémon that they had managed to steal before it slammed heavily to the ground in a pile of dented, useless metal.

"Woah," Gary whistled. "Remind me never to get in the way of thirty Tauros."

"The Tauros that Ash trains usually brings back all the knowledge that he has given it, and passes it onto its peers," Professor Oak said with a laugh. "That's why they are all at the same level, as though Ash had trained each of them individually."

"No wonder they all respect Ash as their trainer," Tracey mused. "Even though they don't see him that often, and he rarely uses them, they know that he's the one that passes on some of their strength to them."

"Thanks, Tauros," Ash beamed, leaping down and patting the Tauros he had been riding on the head. He laughed as some of the other Tauros near him startled nuzzling him. "Thanks, all of you, you did great!"

It was nearly ten minutes before he was able to struggle his way out of the herd, all his Tauros wanting to show their affection to him before they'd let him go. By the time he was free, his face was flushed with laughter, and even the sight of Team Rocket having managed to pull themselves from the wreckage couldn't stop the wide grin spreading across his face.

Delia couldn't help but smile. _This_ was why she had ushered him to the preserve; Pokémon would always hold a special place in Ash's heart, and they could do what even people couldn't at the times when he needed most to be held upright. She doubted that whatever was troubling him had gone away, but at least he was able to banish it in the face of the Pokémon that loved him. Even watching Team Rocket slinking away, hoping to be unnoticed, didn't banish her happiness.

As such, she could only laugh harder as she watched Ash stumble free, only to be accosted by an entirely new group of Pokémon, all of them happy to see him. He had only gotten home yesterday, after all, so this was the first time he had managed to make it here after his journey through Kalos.

"Okay, okay!" Ash said with a laugh. "Come on, guys, let me through!"

It took several more moments for Ash to pull himself free from the clutches of his eager Pokémon, and that was only after he had managed to personally greet each one, from the large, powerful Charizard to the small, excitable Gible. Eventually he stumbled out of the group, a large grin on his face.

"Well, you're popular," Gary teased, though he sounded a little relieved that Ash no longer looked so despondent.

"They're just happy to see me back home," Ash said with a smile, rubbing the head of the closest Pokémon to him, which happened to be a Tauros that had pressed close.

"I should let my Pokémon out, too," Misty said with a smile. "Professor, do you mind if I let them swim around in the lake?"

"It isn't a problem, Misty," Professor Oak said with a smile. "Your Pokémon are more than welcome to rest here for now."

"What sort of Pokémon do you have now, Misty?" Ash asked curiously.

"Why don't you come and see," Misty said with a wink.

Ash grinned broadly and, with a few last pats of his Pokémon, scurried after her, eager to see the sorts of Pokémon she had been training during her reign as a gym leader. Delia laughed as she followed with Professor Oak, Tracey and Gary at a more sedate pace; she happened to know which two Pokémon Misty had brought with her, and she thought Ash would be pleased to meet the two of them.

The lake was large and clear, with a few water Pokémon swimming around in its shallows or basking in the sun on the banks. None of them seemed particularly concerned, which made Delia wonder what had been so wrong with Ash that morning. It had been as though he could sense something that even the Pokémon hadn't yet figured out…

"Hey, what's that?"

Ash's loud question attracted her attention back to the present, and she looked ahead to see that Ash was leaning over the lake with a curious look on his face. Misty, who had already pulled out two shrunken Pokéballs, scanned the lake as well.

"What was what?" she asked. "I don't see anything."

"I just saw this huge shadow," Ash said with a small frown. "Did you see it, Pikachu?"

"Pika," Pikachu agreed with a nod.

"I'm not sure what it was," Professor Oak admitted. "I don't believe I have any particularly large Pokémon swimming in the lake right now."

"Wait, I see it too!" Misty said, pointing. "Right there!"

They all looked, but the water was still clear. Misty frowned, frustration on her face.

"It was right there," she said.

"Then it disappeared, right?" Ash asked. The furrow on his brow was back and he rubbed his bare arms as thought for warmth. "You know, this kind of feels familiar…"

And then the water in the lake exploded upward.

Like a tornado of water, it shot up with such force that Delia could feel herself being pushed back slightly. She raised her arms to cover her head, anxiety shooting through her as she heard everyone crying out, trying to squint through the sudden wind to find her son and her friends.

Finally, she managed to locate him, trying to stay upright.

"I know what this is!" she heard him yell. "It's…!"

But that's all he got to say. The spiralling tornado suddenly moved, as though it had a mind of its own, and crashed down straight on top of him. Delia's cry of shock and alarm was lost in the sound, and then the tornado pulled back and sank into the water again, the water slowly stilling until it was as though it had never been disturbed before.

All that was left was a dishevelled Pikachu, who had evidently been knocked from his trainer's shoulder somehow. Delia slowly looked around and then sunk to her knees, barely able to believe what she was seeing.

Ash was gone.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Two;_ Ash has disappeared all of a sudden, and strange Pokémon begin to appear on the preserve. Is all this attributed to the strange dread that has plagued Ash all day?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Here is Chapter Two! I had meant to try and get it out yesterday, but time got away from me. Hope you enjoy this chapter. The warnings from the previous chapter stand for both this chapter and the rest of the story, so please refer back to it if you've forgotten.

 **Chapter Two;**

"Where did Ash go?!"

Gary heard Misty's question, but it was somewhat difficult to comprehend after what had just happened, especially when Pikachu recovered and called for his trainer, sounding increasingly worried each time. A _tornado of water_ had just exploded out of the lake and snatched up his childhood friend.

"Not again! We don't want to go back to that whacky world!"

Hearing the shrieks, Gary and the others turned just in time to see Team Rocket, who appeared to have been stealthily approaching them, turn tail and flee in the opposite direction. Their gibbering terror didn't make Gary feel any better about the entire situation.

Oddly enough, however, Misty relaxed ever so slightly, a contemplative frown on her face. Seeing Gary's raised eyebrow, she gave him a small smile.

"If Team Rocket knows what this is, then Ash would too," she explained. "It's obviously something they've seen before. Also, they're all still here, so I guess they didn't get trapped the first time."

Gary wasn't entirely convinced of this, and, by the looks on Delia's, Professor Oak's and Tracey's faces, they agreed.

Still, it was a fact that Misty, who had travelled with Ash for a fairly long time, knew him quite well by now, as well as the sort of trouble he got in. Pikachu, who had travelled with Ash longer than anyone, had also calmed now that the initial panic had faded, and was now crouched beside the water and staring at it intently, as though planning to sit right there until Ash turned up again.

"I guess all we can do is wait," Tracey said with a sigh. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"But where _did_ he go?" Delia pressed, worry written all over her face. "Why would something like this have happened?"

"Perhaps this is exactly what Ash has been waiting for all day, without knowing it," Professor Oak mused, interested. "No doubt a Pokémon of some sort has requested his assistance."

"It does seem more likely that a Pokémon is behind this," Gary said, frowning at the lake. "But which one?"

"Hmmm…"

Seeing that his grandfather had adopted his thinking pose, Gary turned his eyes on to Pikachu. Not for the first time, he wished that he could understand Pokémon other than his own; surely Pikachu would be able to shed some light on what was happening.

On top of that, what had just happened, now that he was thinking that a Pokémon was responsible, seemed vaguely familiar, as though he had read about such a phenomenon somewhere. He had the oddest feeling that it had less to do with the water and more to do with reflections, though he wasn't quite sure why…

"Hey, what's that?"

Nothing good ever really followed any variation of that question, Gary decided dryly as he heard Tracey's query. Still, he turned to look at the Pokémon watcher and noticed that he was not looking at the lake, as he had half expected, but instead at the sky, squinting. Feeling a little bit of dread about what was going to happen _now_ , he followed Tracey's line of sight.

There was something in the sky, though it was some distance away. Gary might have passed it off as a bird Pokémon, but it was heading toward them, and going too fast. On top of that, he couldn't see any flapping wings, which put him at a loss to explain it.

"Now what?" Misty murmured, shielding her eyes.

"Is it… a Pokémon?" Delia asked hesitantly.

"Perhaps it has something to do with Ash's sudden disappearance," Professor Oak said as the figure grew larger and closer. "Wait…"

He drew in a startled breath, and Gary didn't need to ask, because he, too, could now quite clearly see what type of Pokémon was approaching them. His mouth fell open as he stared, because he honestly couldn't understand why _that_ Pokémon was here.

"What's that, professor?" Delia asked.

"That, Delia, is Uxie," Professor Oak, sounding oddly strangled.

' _Uxie…'_ The name drifted through Gary's stunned mind as he simply stared. Uxie, one of the Lake Trio, one of the rarest Pokémon in the world, a Legendary Pokémon that was rarely _ever_ seen by humans, was coming straight toward the preserve.

Though… something didn't seem right.

As Uxie got closer, he noticed that something just seemed _off_ about the Pokémon. He had only ever seen Uxie once, when it had been attacked and captured along with its brethren by Hunter J (and, subsequently, had been the one involved in Hunter J's downfall), but he had never forgotten that moment. He doubted anyone _ever_ forgot the moment they met a Legendary Pokémon.

Because of this, he remembered Uxie quite clearly. And the Uxie that he was seeing now, shrouded in an odd, shimmering darkness and with open, glowing red eyes, did not look like the same Pokémon.

But there should not have been another Uxie. Uxie was the Pokémon that guarded one of three lakes in Sinnoh, Lake Acuity, and it stayed there constantly to do its duty. That meant that the Uxie approaching them _had_ to be the Uxie from Lake Acuity, regardless of how unusual it was that it was here.

"Everyone inside," Professor Oak suddenly said tersely.

"What?" Gary asked, thrown. "Grandpa?"

"Is something wrong?" Delia asked, already taking a step back as she threw a wary look at the Legendary coming closer.

"That Uxie… something is _very_ wrong with it," the professor said, gritting his teeth. "We need to get inside _now_."

But it was already too late. The Uxie was almost upon them now, and the jewel on its head was starting to glow brightly. It took a moment to realise what was happening, because it was so unexpected, but eventually Gary realised, with growing horror, that Uxie was preparing to attack them.

The next several minutes were a whirlwind of confusion. All the Pokémon on the preserve, most of who were unaware of what was happening, immediately thundered forward in response to the apparent attack, and Gary found himself being pushed back by Bayleef, who suddenly looked fiercer than he had ever seen her. His grandfather grabbed his wrist and pulled him along, and then he was running as an explosion ripped through the preserve, almost forcing them all off their feet. Pikachu let out a cry that stung just to hear it, full of rage and desperation and panic, as Misty picked him up and forced him away.

Through it all, however, he couldn't help but look back at the lake Ash had disappeared through barely five minutes ago. This… all of this… it couldn't be a coincidence. He had spent too long studying Legendary Pokémon and their myths to believe that _anything_ that had happened today was meaningless.

But the answers would have to wait until Ash returned from wherever he had been pulled to. For now, he just had to hope that they managed to fend off an apparently angry Uxie and wait until things became less confusing.

' _Ash… what's going on here?'_

POKEMONPOKEMONPOKEMON

Ash had found that he wasn't really in the position to be answering that question right now. From the moment the swirling tornado of wind and water had risen from the water, he had known exactly what had happened. He had half expected a large Legendary Pokémon to burst from the water with it, though he hadn't been sure why it would come to the preserve.

He certainly hadn't expected to be pulled _through_ the water. And, while he had experienced the sensation several times in the past, it wasn't any easier this time than it was last time.

Especially when he found himself falling, fast, from the sky.

He fought not to panic, remembering what had happened every other time he had been here as the ground quickly approached. If he remembered rightly, getting closer to the ground sometimes triggered a change in gravity, which meant it was likely that he would stop right about…

Now.

Right on cue, Ash found himself slowing to an abrupt halt before he tumbled gently to the ground, trying to remind his racing heart that he was alright after all. When he felt he had gotten his breath back, he brushed himself off and stood, looking around.

Of all the places he had ever expected to revisit, the Reverse World, the home of Giratina, had not been one of them. For starters, he had no way of getting there on his own. And, secondly, what reason would Giratina have for pulling him through again?

Well, apparently Giratina had found a reason somehow, because here he was. Cautiously, Ash looked for the large Legendary Pokémon, wishing that he had Pikachu with him right now.

Giratina, however, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was elsewhere in the Reverse World? Wavering for a moment, Ash frowned as he wondered what to do. Did he stay here and hope the Legendary Pokémon would find him here? Or did he go looking for answers?

Well, Ash had never really been good at waiting around.

"Alright, I'll go look for Giratina," he said aloud, mainly to try and break the silence, but instead his voice echoed back to him and made him seem even more alone.

As he half-walked, half jumped through the strange gravitational field, Ash thought about the last time he had been here. At that time, the Reverse World had been reacting to the imbalance caused by Arceus awakening, which had accidentally brought Palkia and Dialga together. Their fight had created terrible, poisonous clouds within the Reverse World, infuriating Giratina to the point that it attempted to track the other two Pokémon down.

All that was in the past, and he had been assured, both by Newton, after they had captured Zero, and Sheena, after he had questioned her once Arceus had calmed, that everything would be fine once more, that anything that had been ruined by the imbalance in the other realms would settle once and for all. The Reverse World should have been fine.

Except, looking at it now, Ash could see that it wasn't.

The black clouds full of poisonous air were thicker and more numerous than they had been before, and there were several areas that appeared to be broken, which put Ash uncomfortably in mind of the way Zero had broken the ice in the real world from here. Something appeared to have gone seriously wrong in the Reverse Word at some point, and Ash wondered if _this_ was what had caused him to feel that odd dread that had plagued him all morning.

Ash hadn't been lying when he had told everyone that he didn't know what was causing his unease; it had simply come out of nowhere that morning and had put him in mind, peculiarly, of the way all the Pokémon had been terrible uneasy right before they got trapped in the storm near Shamouti Island so long ago. This time, though, it wasn't the Pokémon acting strangely. It was just Ash.

Maybe it was because he knew and befriended Giratina? If that was the case, then maybe he had managed to form a bond with the large Legendary Pokémon, one that had told him that something was wrong in Giratina's home?

He had to find Giratina and find out what was going on.

Ash stumbled slightly as gravity returned to normal, his hat falling over his eyes, and so he missed it when a large shadow slowly drifted underneath him. The hair on the back of his neck did stand up, however, as though someone was watching him, and he pushed his hat back, looking around cautiously. But there was no sign of Giratina or anyone else nearby… not that anyone else _would_ be here. Except…

"Newton!" he exclaimed, brightening at the sudden prospect.

Newton would still be here, wouldn't he? He had told Ash that he had planned to stay in the Reverse World for as long as it took to complete his research, no matter how long it took. He had been in this world for a very long time before Ash met him, so it stood to reason that he would still be here now, right?

Excited at the idea, Ash took off running, trying to remember where the cave that Newton had made his home was located. He had a feeling that space was different here in the Reverse World so, even though they had been in Sinnoh when he first met Newton, he doubted he was too far away even now.

"Newton!" he called as he ran, barely even noticing as he suddenly ran upside down before righting himself once more. "Are you here? Newton!"

The weird gravity kicked in again, and Ash took advantage by leaping large distances, constantly calling for the older man. Perhaps, even, he would attract Giratina here, and finally find out why he had been pulled through to this world.

And then, finally…

"Hello? Who's there?!"

"Newton!" Ash shouted, putting on a burst of speed at the sound of the familiar voice.

It didn't take long for the man, who appeared to be in the midst of analysing one of the poison clouds, to come into view. He had straightened and was looking around with a confused expression on his face, likely trying to find whoever it was that would be calling him. When he set eyes on Ash, however, his whole expression registered shock.

"Ash?!" he yelped. "What are you doing here?!"

"I don't know!" Ash said, skidding to a stop beside Newton, grinning at him. "Boy am I glad I found you! Giratina pulled me through for some reason, but now I can't find Giratina, and what's with all this anyway? I thought this world was supposed to be safe again!"

"Hang on, hang on, back up a bit," Newton said, raising his hands. "I'll answer your questions about the Reverse Word in a moment. First… you said Giratina pulled you through?"

"Well, I didn't actually _see_ Giratina," Ash admitted. "But Giratina is the only one that could have done it!"

"I see." Newton surveyed Ash gravely and then, suddenly, grabbed his wrist. "Come with me, Ash; your arrival does not bode well, I fear."

He started moving before Ash could ask what he meant, pulling the trainer along in his wake. Ash frowned at the intense, almost worried expression on the man's face; just what, exactly, was going on here?

He thought he heard movement behind them and he turned his head, certain, this time, that it was Giratina. But there was nothing there again, and his frown deepened.

Newton took him to an old, crumbling house in the shadow of a massive tree, one that was sitting in the bouncy gravity. Ash wondered, for a moment, what had happened to the cave, but he supposed Newton had the right to move around as he wished.

"Tea?" Newton asked, striking a match and throwing it in a misshapen fireplace.

"No, thanks," Ash said, shaking his head. "Newton, what's going on here? Tell me what's happening in the Reverse World!"

"Frankly, Ash… I don't know," Newton said with a sigh, slowly sitting at a rickety table. Ash followed suit, sitting carefully in case the unstable-looking chair collapsed on him. "Up until two days ago, the Reverse World was doing great. And then, suddenly…"

He made a helpless gesture, one evidently intended to encompass the disarray the world had fallen into. Newton sighed heavily.

"It's worse, far worse, than when Zero was attempting to take control of the Reverse World," he said grimly. "Those clouds of poison are everywhere, now, and Giratina can barely be found. Occasionally I catch a glimpse of it… but it isn't doing anything to fix the damages to the Reverse World. In fact, I suspect that it may be _causing_ some of them."

Giratina deliberately causing harm in the Reverse World? Newton must have seen the incredulity on Ash's face because he laughed slightly.

"I know, a weird thing to think," he said. "But Giratina… doesn't seem to have been the same over the last few days. There is something strange about it, but I cannot put my finger on what is wrong."

"So why would Giratina pull me through to this world?" Ash asked, confused.

"Perhaps it wants you to do something about it?" Newton suggested, though his expression suggested he was sceptical of his own suggestion. "You saved the Reverse World last time, after all."

"I dunno…" Ash said doubtfully. "Why would Giratina want _my_ help? Wouldn't it try and get _you_ to help first since you live here?"

"Apparently not," Newton said, sounding a little put out; he had obviously already realised this. "But I was also not the one to help Giratina save this world from Zero when it was under threat before."

Well, he supposed that _did_ make sense, though Ash was still a little doubtful that a Legendary Pokémon would actively seek out a trainer that had only helped him out once a long time ago. There wasn't really any argument he could make, though, so, for lack of anything better to do, he looked around the lopsided room again.

It was at the exact moment that his eyes trailed passed the window that an odd, dark shadow darted by.

Ash startled, almost knocking the wobbly table down, and stood. He wasn't really sure what he had seen, but _something_ was out there. Had Giratina finally found him?

"What is it, Ash?" Newton asked curiously.

"I thought I saw something," Ash said, frowning slightly. "It had to have been Giratina, right?"

"Giratina?" Newton's eyes took on a wary look. Even though Ash didn't fully believe him about the large Pokémon's actions lately, the expression still put him on guard.

It occurred to him that if _anyone_ was going to know that something was going on with Giratina, it would be Newton. The man had spent a long time in the Reverse World, studying both the area and the ruler of it, so it made sense that he would notice something was off.

It made Ash uneasy, because, while he didn't _want_ to believe that Giratina might be deliberately causing harm to its own world, he found that he couldn't do anything else at that moment.

"If Giratina's out there… what do we do?" he asked, wishing that he had Pikachu or one of his other Pokémon with him.

"It might be best to get into the open," Newton replied, the glance he shot his small house saying clearly that he didn't wish for any harm to come to it. "I hope that Shieldon is wise enough to stay away."

"Hey, yeah, where is Shieldon?" Ash asked, just noticing the absence of the small Pokémon.

"He is in another part of the Reverse World, collecting materials for me," Newton said with a small, fond smile. "At any sign of trouble, however, I've no doubt he will return here very quickly. Now, let us be off. Perhaps, with you here, we can finally discover what is wrong in this world."

' _No pressure,'_ Ash couldn't help but think with a sigh. This was the way it always was, wasn't it? Something unusual happens, and he gets pulled into it, and then he had to see it through until everything was fine again. He _liked_ helping Pokémon, and he would never turn his back, but sometimes it did get to be a bit much. Especially since these things usually happened while he was travelling and he was on a break right now!

Even so, he followed Newton out of the house, keeping a wary eye out for Giratina as he did so. He was starting to wonder if he hadn't just imagined the feeling of being watched before, that Giratina had followed him here for some reason. It worried him more than he cared to admit that Giratina hadn't showed itself before now.

"Follow me," Newton said shortly.

With a jerky nod, Ash did as he was told. This time, though, he _knew_ what he was feeling. Somehow, he wasn't sure how, he just knew that Giratina was following them now, a large presence drifting silently out of sight that was watching them carefully. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and it was uncomfortably like they were being corralled into a corner.

"Newton…" he said uneasily.

"I know, Ash," Newton said tightly, his expression strained. "Just keep going for now. We have to wait until Giratina makes a move."

Ash didn't really like the idea of that, but he was helpless to do anything else. He had never felt anything like this before; normally his adventures were so filled with action that he didn't have a chance to think of anything else. This time, however, all he could do was wait while Giratina hunted them.

He felt the movement moments before it actually happened. It was as though there was a sudden change in the air, and dread exploded in his stomach. He moved too, diving at Newton.

"Watch out!" he yelled, pushing the man out of the way.

And just in time. With a ferocious roar, Giratina finally made itself known, exploding through the pavement they had just been walking along, and Ash and Newton could only watch in shock for a moment before they both scrambled to their feet, shaken from the near miss.

Looking at Giratina, however, Ash couldn't help but think that it _wasn't_ Giratina somehow. Which was ridiculous, because there could not be two Giratina in the world… yet this Pokémon was not the Legendary that he had befriended. He managed to take in glowing red eyes and an odd shadowy presence hanging around the Pokémon before Newton grabbed his wrist and tugged harshly on it.

"Come on!" he yelled.

It was enough of a jolt to get Ash moving. Giratina had come out of hiding, and it obviously didn't mean well by them for some reason. Trying to remember the changing gravity, Ash raced along with Newton, attempting not to think about the fact that Giratina was giving chase and was likely _a lot_ faster than them.

"What's going on?!" he cried as they dodged through ruined buildings, trying to lose the large Pokémon.

"I don't know!" Newton yelled back, sounding highly frustrated. "Keep moving, and we'll talk about it when we're safe!"

 _Was_ there somewhere they could be safe, though? Ash distinctly remembered the last time they had come here; Giratina had found them every time. And why not? This world belonged to Giratina. As such, the Legendary Pokémon would know this world better than any other person or Pokémon alive. Even all the research Newton had done on it would never match up.

And he could see that Newton was aware of this, if the pinched expression on his face was anything to go by. They weren't looking for a place to hide out indefinitely. They were looking for somewhere they could pause and catch their breath for a moment before they were forced to run once more.

But running wasn't going to solve anything here. Ash couldn't get back to the real world without Giratina's help, so he was stuck here until they could figure out what was wrong with the Legendary. More and more he was becoming convinced that _this_ was the reason for the dread he had felt that morning… he just wished he knew what _he_ was supposed to do about it.

Finally – _finally_ – Newton came to a stop, pressing himself against a bowed wall, and Ash wedged himself beside him, barely daring to breathe as he looked around the wooden tunnel they had trapped themselves in. He saw Giratina go past slowly, obviously looking for them, and he felt the oddest sense of déjà vu; hadn't he and Dawn hidden just like this the first time they had come here with Shaymin? Except, then, Giratina hadn't actually been out to get them.

"I think… Giratina is gone for now," Newton said cautiously a minute later, when it didn't look like the Pokémon would go past again.

"Not for long," Ash pointed out with a grimace.

"No," Newton said apologetically. He gazed at Ash for a long moment, his expression so serious that Ash squirmed slightly. "Ash… there has to be a reason that you are here now. Why would Giratina bring you here?"

"I don't know," Ash said, shaking his head. "I _wish_ I knew. Is there anything we can do about this? Giratina is acting really strange!"

"For now, I don't know," Newton said, mouth twisting. "As I told you, things have been strange here for the last two days. When I saw you, I thought for a moment you would know what to do, but…"

"Sorry," Ash said, unable to say anything else in reply to Newton's despondent statement.

"It isn't your fault," Newton said instantly. "You're in more trouble than me if we can't figure out how to get you back to the real world. Giratina has so far left me alone, but it instantly attacked when you arrived. Perhaps it is seeing you as a foreign entity. A virus, of sorts," he added when Ash blinked at him, uncomprehending.

A virus? Ash got a sudden, startling image of a tree that treated he and his friends in the same way, and he shook away the memory of those frightening orange blobs. He doubted the Reverse World would do the same… though those clouds of poison were worrying enough on their own.

"Right," he said, troubled. "So I have to get back somehow. I just wish there was something I could do for Giratina."

Newton opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by a faint rumble. That was all the warning they got before their tunnel exploded under their feet, and Ash found himself flying through the air with large pieces of debris, a startled cry escaping him. Newton made a grab for him, but missed, and then Ash lost sight of him, unable to do anything more than concentrate on Giratina's frightening form and the fact that gravity had slammed abruptly on top of him, leaving him to fall back down.

He barely had any time to consider it, though. Giratina was flying below him, and Ash reached from the Pokémon, preferring to deal with a strangely angry Legendary then with a freefall through the Reverse World, with no assurance that he would land safely. He managed to hook his arms around one of Giratina's spines, and he hung on grimly as the Pokémon shrieked, a strangely unearthly sound that made all his hairs stand on end.

' _Giratina, what's wrong?'_ he wondered, something in him aching. _'I wish I could help you.'_

Later, Ash wouldn't really be able to say what happened next. There was a flash of warmth that rushed through him all of a sudden, and he could _feel_ something dark and slimy and _wrong_ as he held onto Giratina, and he thought that there had to be a way to get _rid_ of it…

Then there was a blinding flash of blue and Ash went flying a second time.

"I've got you! Ooph!"

Newton had seen what happened and he managed to catch Ash, only for them to both tumble to the ground in a tangled heap. Ash groaned, shaking his head and feeling oddly tired as he did so.

"Thanks, Newton," he said fuzzily. "What just happened?"

"I've no idea," Newton said, sounding as puzzled as Ash felt, as he disentangled himself and stood, offering Ash a hand up as well.

Ash took it gratefully and allowed Newton to pull him to his feet. The world had gone strangely quiet now, and he looked up to see that Giratina was floating calmly above them, no longer looking as though it would attack them at any moment. There was something different about it…

' _The shadow,'_ he realised suddenly. That strange shadow around Giratina was gone, and its eyes looked clearer too. What had happened just then?

"I've never see anything like it," Newton mused, looking between Ash and Giratina. "One moment Giratina was furious, and then that flash of blue light calmed it." He raised an eyebrow. "Why did that happen why you touched Giratina?"

"Beats me," Ash said, blinking. "But Giratina looks better now, right?"

Giratina crooned, the sound more normal than the last one, and Ash found himself relaxing slightly. Giratina was okay now. He didn't know how or why, but it was enough that the large Pokémon seemed to be better. Newton shook his head, more stunned by the sudden events than anything.

"Well, I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen," he muttered.

Ash barely heard him. He watched as Giratina came closer to them, oddly hesitant, as though it was waiting for them to tell it to go away. Was it feeling guilty for its current actions? Ash frowned; had Giratina been out of control for some reason? He found himself put in mind of Sheena and Damos, who could calm Pokémon that allowed their emotions to go out-of-control, helping them to see things clearly once more. Had something similar happened just now, somehow?

"Giratina," he said, making sure to smile at the large Pokémon. There was recognition in the Pokémon's eyes, and he was honoured that the Legendary remembered who he was. "It's okay, it wasn't really your fault, right?"

Giratina came closer and Ash stretched his hand out to pat him on the head, beaming. Giratina was definitely back to normal now.

"You think you could take me back to my world now?" he asked with a smile. "Only, my mum and my friends will be getting worried by now."

In response, Giratina dropped lower still and shrugged its shoulders, an obvious invitation to climb on its back. Grinning, Ash turned to Newton, who was watching in bemusement.

"Sorry to just drop in so suddenly, Newton," he said sheepishly. "Thanks for the help."

"Ash," Newton said, and his voice was suddenly so serious that Ash froze in the act of turning to climb onto Giratina's back. "Something has gone very wrong. Please be careful."

The words sent a shiver down Ash's spine. There was a part of him that was convinced that everything was fine now that he had somehow solved the problem in the Reverse World. But there was another, louder, part of him that was telling him that the problem was larger than he realised.

"I will," he found himself saying.

"And if you need any help, Shieldon and I will be right here," Newton continued, face relaxing into a smile. "We'll continue our research here and perhaps try and find an answer for what is happening right now. Just remember, Ash; damage to the Reverse World is done when there are imbalances in the real world."

Ash remembered Newton saying that last time. Uneasily, he looked at the clouds of poison that still hung around the Reverse World, wondering what could be happening in the real world to cause this.

"I'll be careful," he promised again. "You be careful too!"

"I will," Newton said with a laugh. "Good luck, Ash!"

Ash scrambled up onto Giratina's back and, with a last wave, they were off. It was almost strange that his adventure here was over almost as soon as it had begun, even if he still wasn't sure _how_ it had ended, but Ash was eager to get going again. If nothing else, he felt an oddly insistent desire to return home straight away.

It didn't take them long to find the spot that Ash had fallen through, and Giratina roared, ripping open a portal within the air below them. Ash grinned as Giratina drifted closer.

"Thanks, Giratina," he said with a grin. "I'll be okay from here."

Already knowing how it all worked, and giving Giratina one last pat in thanks, Ash didn't feel any qualm at all in leaping from the Legendary's back. There was a strange moment, as he flew through the odd space between realms, and then, suddenly, he found himself submerged in water.

Kicking out frantically, his head broke the surface and, barely realising where he was or where he was going, he struck out for the bank, determined to find his way there. As he hit the soft ground, he heard cries of his name, but his energy was spent and all he could do was collapse back on the earth and huff out a laugh, grinning broadly as he heard one particular call, the one that let him know he had made it back home.

"Pikapi!"

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Three;_ With both Giratina and Uxie acting oddly, it is clear that something is definitely happening. Perhaps, if they can stop Uxie's rampage, they may finally get some answers.

 **Thanks to;**

Kingdom of Zetalnarury-88, PokeshipperByHeart and Little White Comet. Reviews are always welcome, and even more so at the very beginning of a story! Thank you for your feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** It took me longer than I thought it would to get this chapter out because of reality issues. I'm happy to see so many people are favouriting and following this story! And, of course, thanks heaps to those who have reviewed as well. I'm not the greatest at following deadlines, but I try my best and I hope to get more chapters out quicker soon!

 **Chapter Three;**

Pikachu was the first thing he saw, his concerned face swimming into view as Ash blinked water out of his eyes. Pikachu's expression cleared, however, when he realised his trainer was conscious.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu murmured, the sound of his name far more relieved this time.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash said, rolling over onto his back just as the thundering footsteps stopped beside him; Pikachu, naturally, had gotten to him first. "Hi, everyone."

For a moment, as he stared at several pale faces hovering over him, he found himself wondering why he wasn't more surprised at the events that had just taken place. Instead he felt an odd kind of resigned acceptance to the inevitably complex turns that his life liked to take, and just very glad that he had made it back at all.

"Welcome back, Ashy-boy," Gary said, his grin a little strained. "I'd like to ask you where you went to in such a hurry… but we have a bit of a situation."

"A situation?" Ash repeated, a little disorientated; didn't he just _solve_ a situation? "What sort of situation?"

"Well, after you disappeared and Team Rocket fled, yelling something about not wanting to go back to 'that whacky world'… well, maybe you should look," Misty said, reaching down to help him up.

Feeling a little wobbly, and strangely tired, Ash grabbed hold of her hand and allowed her to haul him to his feet. The moment he was up, however, he saw exactly what his friends were talking about, especially when a burst of psychic energy blew passed the group and exploded on the ground.

"What the…?" he yelped, startled back into full cognizance; there was no time to recover from his adventure in the Reverse World, it seemed. "What's attacking us?"

"Uxie," Professor Oak said grimly.

Ash paused, and then turned slowly to stare at the older man, wondering if he was just pulling his leg. First he gets pulled through a portal by Giratina, and then Uxie shows up out of the blue and starts attacking the fields? Slowly, he looked up, and all doubts he felt fled as he saw the small, familiar Pokémon hovering above them, that strange shadow surrounding it in much the same way as it had Giratina just recently.

One thing was for sure… when he had woken up with the feeling that something was going to go wrong today, he hadn't expected _this_.

And yet… there was a part of him that whispered that it wasn't odd that something of this magnitude had happened, that the roiling ball of dread that had settled in his stomach could not have meant anything less. He didn't know what was going on, didn't know what had happened in the Reverse World with Giratina, but he knew that something was very, _very_ wrong with the world right now.

It seemed that what had happened in the Reverse World was not the only thing that had called to him. Perhaps it had just been the beginning.

"Maybe this has something to do with why Ash disappeared like that?" Delia asked, her concern deeply etched on her face as they stood together and watched Uxie chase the other Pokémon, its fury almost palpable.

"What _did_ happen there?" Misty asked.

"It was…" Ash started.

That was as far as he got before a burst of water suddenly exploded out of the lake, twisting and wrapping around itself until it formed a twister. Uxie shrieked, an unearthly sound that made the hairs on the back of Ash's neck stand straight, and attacked the spiral of water. Before the attack could reach it, however, it disappeared in a large burst and the psychic attack was met with a dark beam that cancelled it out.

Slowly, majestically, Giratina rose out of the swirling void that had been left behind by the twister, changing shapes gradually as it entered the real world and landed heavily on the ground, right in front of the small group of humans. With a loud, earth-shaking roar that rattled the trees in the forest, it announced its presence and turned to set intent, dark eyes on Uxie.

"…Giratina," Ash finished weakly.

" _Giratina_?!" Gary yelped. "What is a _Giratina_ doing here?!"

"I thought that Giratina was just a myth," Misty said, paling at the sight of the mighty Pokémon.

"No such luck I'm afraid," Professor Oak said, looking as though he couldn't believe his eyes; he had never expected to see the day when he would be in the presence of not just one, but _two_ Legendary Pokémon.

"Is it here to attack us too?" Tracey asked, concerned.

"No, it's probably here to help," Ash said with a shrug, relaxing now that the large Pokémon was here. He blinked when everyone turned to look at him. "Me and Giratina are friends; it'll definitely protect us, so don't worry!"

"…Friends?" Gary muttered weakly.

"But I don't know why Uxie is attacking us," Ash continued, not hearing him. He frowned heavily. "Last time we saw Uxie, it was happy."

"You've met _both_ those Pokémon?" Professor Oak demanded, pointing at them.

"Yeah?" Ash said, not sure what the problem was.

Professor Oak slapped his hand over his face and muttered something under his breath. Tracey and Misty, the only two present who knew of Ash's natural ability to stumble on Legendary Pokémon wherever he went, hid their grins behind their hands.

"I saw Giratina in the Reverse World," Ash added when no one else said anything. He rubbed his head. "Though I'm a bit confused about what happened there, to be honest…"

All of a sudden, Giratina roared again, and it turned its head to look down at them, its eyes flicking over them before they landed on Ash. Ash got a brief flash of memory, of landing on Giratina's back and a blue flash of light, before Giratina lowered its head, nudged an indignant Pikachu aside, and grabbed the back of Ash's shirt with its mouth.

"Uh…" Ash tried.

That was as far as he got before his feet left the ground and he was swinging into the air with a yelp. With a deep rumble in its throat, Giratina tensed its muscles, and then, suddenly, they were launching into the air.

"Ah, wait, what?!" Ash yelled in alarm, feeling incredibly uncomfortable with the sensation of having nothing to hold onto. "Giratina, what are you doing?!"

The memory came again, of him grabbing Giratina's neck before that odd flash of blue light appeared. He remembered, suddenly, that Giratina had been acting oddly before that point, that his eyes had looked strange…

 _Just like Uxie's did_.

"Giratina, is something wrong with Uxie?" he asked sharply, telling himself not to look down. "Was something wrong with you before?"

Giratina rumbled an affirmative. And then, without warning, another image came to mind, one of him wrapping his arms around Uxie with another flash of blue light. Ash knew, in the same way that he knew the sun rose each morning, that it was Giratina who was sending this image to him; it was sending a picture of what it wanted him to do.

"I don't understand," he whispered. He didn't know what was going on. Was something controlling the Legendary Pokémon? How had Giratina gone back to normal?

What was Giratina expecting _him_ to do about it?

Unbidden, he looked down. Uxie was still attacking everything, surrounded by a strange, black fog that he vaguely remembered hanging around Giratina before. They were directly above Uxie now.

All of a sudden, he realised what Giratina was thinking.

To the large Pokémon, it was simple. Ash had fallen from the sky and grabbed him, somehow shocking him back to normal. It only made sense, then, to replicate that scenario in order to jolt Uxie awake, right?

Even if that included Ash falling out of the sky a second time.

"Wait, Giratina…!" he yelped.

He was too late. Giratina opened his mouth, and Ash screamed as he tumbled straight through the air, half certain that he was about to die. He heard people calling his name, but he couldn't really hear passed the rushing wind.

" _Uxie…"_ an unfamiliar voice whispered in his mind. _"Uxie…"_

' _Giratina?'_ he wondered.

He saw the Pokémon right ahead. Barely thinking about what he was doing, not even noticing as Giratina dived with the intent of catching him if he missed, Ash reached out. Uxie let out a keening cry of shock, not even noticing him before he was right there, grabbing it and tumbling down to the ground with it, wrapping his arm protectively around the small Pokémon.

Then, with a shock of blue light and the odd sensation of someone shoving him harshly to one side, he was flying through the air and hitting the water for the second time. Shocked at the suddenness of it all, he floated downward for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened. Then rational thought returned, and Ash kicked upward, breaking the surface of the lake with a great, heaving gasp.

"Ash!"

Looking up, he could see Delia already in the process of wading out into the lake, his friends barely a step behind her. Weakly, feeling like he had been drained of all his energy, he swam sluggishly toward them.

By the time he had reached them, however, he found that some of his energy had already returned to him. Grateful, he accepted the hands that Gary and Delia offered to him, allowing them to pull him out of the water.

"What was _that_ all about?" Gary asked, shaking his head.

"Beats me," Ash said, rubbing his head. "Whatever it was, it looks like it's over now."

He looked around. Giratina had landed on the ground, looking oddly satisfied with itself as it stretched its neck out. Uxie was hovering in the air and, as he watched, it came closer. It was no longer attacking everything around it, and the odd fog was completely gone, as was the dark look in its eyes. It seemed that it was back to normal.

Just like Giratina had been after that same flash of light.

"Looks like Uxie isn't going to attack anymore," Misty said in a low voice as they watched the small Legendary come toward them carefully, Giratina turning its head to watch.

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair, grimacing at the feel of the water trickling down his neck. He didn't really have any idea what was going on right now, nor why Giratina and Uxie were staring at him so intently, as though they were waiting for him to do something else or figure something out.

"So… what now?" he asked helplessly, not really directing the question at anyone in particular, but hoping that _someone_ might understand something that he must have missed.

Unfortunately, even Professor Oak looked as lost as he felt. After all, he had two Legendary Pokémon on his preserve, and one of them had just done an abrupt about-face after attacking them for no reason at all.

" _Now you have a choice to make, young one."_

Ash's head snapped up. That voice hadn't been familiar, but there wasn't any other person around who could have said that. Slowly, he turned around, and jerked back when he noticed Uxie had moved until it was hovering just behind him.

"…Uxie?" he asked cautiously, wondering if he had gone mad.

" _Yes,"_ Uxie said quietly with a small nod, the melodious, feminine voice somehow unexpected on the small Pokémon.

"Telepathy," Professor Oak said in fascination, moving closer. "I was unaware that Uxie that sort of psychic ability."

" _Ordinarily, no,"_ Uxie said, and she seemed amused. _"I am very old, however, and I have learnt many things in my time on this Earth."_

"What do you mean, very old?" Gary asked curiously, and Ash twitched as he saw that the grandson-grandfather pair had identical expressions.

Uxie's head tilted to one side. _"I mean that I am very old, by the standards of humans. Many eons have passed for me, and I have watched a lot of my brethren come and go. Having stayed in my lake for much of that time, it is difficult for me to keep track of each turn of the season effectively, but I know I am older than most beings in this world."_

"One of the oldest Pokémon in the world," Tracey breathed, eyes alight with interest. He almost visibly drew himself back, though. "But what happened to you? Why did you come to attack us?"

" _Because I was drawn here by the terrible power that I had already foreseen,"_ Uxie said seriously. She flew up and landed gently on Ash's head, shifting until she had made herself comfortable on his messy hair. _"In my travels, I was caught before I had expected to be."_

"Wait, does that mean someone is trying to control Legendary Pokémon?" Ash demanded.

" _A dark shadow is tracing its path through the world,"_ Uxie agreed. _"It is attempting to catch as many of the most powerful as it can. Currently, it has already taken some of us, though there are many that are still free."_ She paused. _"Perhaps not for long, though."_

"Does that mean that it will come here after you and Giratina?" Misty asked, hugging Pikachu to her; the annoyed mouse Pokémon looked about seconds away from electrocuting her if she didn't let go soon so he could get to his trainer.

" _The shadow had already caught Giratina and I,"_ Uxie corrected, and Giratina huffed, a sound of obvious annoyance. Uxie smiled. _"We were not quite fast enough, since we had other concerns on our minds."_

"Will the shadow know, though, that you're free again?" Ash asked, tilting his head back slightly so that he could see her.

" _The shadow already knows, but there is nothing that it can do now,"_ Uxie said, and satisfaction rolled off her voice. _"Because we are now under the protection of the Chosen One."_

It took a moment for that to sink in. It had been a long time since Ash had heard that title, and he had honestly never expected to hear it again… at least not at him. He pointed at himself, his eyes wide.

"You're not talking about… me, are you?" he asked.

" _I wouldn't be talking about anyone else."_ Uxie leaned over and stared down at him. _"You freed us, in the way that only you could. It is only your touch, your power, that can prevent this shadow from taking control of us. Now that we have received your blessing, we cannot be taken again."_

"Blessing…?" Ash asked weakly. "Are you talking about that strange blue light?"

"Are things always this weird around you?" Gary asked, deadpan.

"Welcome to our world," Misty sighed. "No matter how long you travel with him, he always manages to get involved in _something_ strange and dangerous."

"I only travelled through the Orange Islands with Ash, and I got used to odd things happening," Tracey added.

"It's not like I asked for this to happen," Ash growled at them, glaring.

" _But you did feel it happening today,"_ Uxie said, and her words made Ash pause. Because, yes, he had felt that inherent wrongness that just wouldn't leave him alone. _"Other sensitive humans would have felt it too… but not as strongly as you did."_

"You said before that Ash had a choice," Delia suddenly said. She had been oddly quiet so far, but now her eyes were serious. "What choice are you talking about?"

" _The shadow has already realised who the Chosen One is,"_ Uxie said, and Ash shivered. Whoever was behind this already knew about him? _"Its attempt to be rid of him resulted in his arrival in the mirror world, where he could help Giratina."_ She looked at Ash. _"Giratina was not the one who pulled you through."_

"That was… your enemy?" Ash asked, swallowing.

" _Yes."_ Uxie sighed and sat up, disappearing from Ash's sight. _"The shadow is aware of you and of what you can do. The Pokémon that had been taken… many of them will attempt to find you, following an inherent desire to remove you since you are a threat. Those who had not been taken will also be tracking you down, though their motive will be to seek protection… and to offer protection."_

Ash felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under his feet. Uxie spoke casually, as though she had not just told him that a horde of Legendary Pokémon would likely be making its way toward him at some point.

"So, what's the choice?" he asked, his throat dry.

" _There will be others who will_ not _seek you out, for whatever reason,"_ Uxie said. _"It is your choice as to whether you will go to find them, or if you will stay here and leave them be."_

"Oh," Ash said numbly.

Either way, it didn't look like much of a choice. Legendary Pokémon were already coming for him, either to attack or to ask for protection, whether he liked it or not.

"Why do you call Ash the Chosen One?" Gary asked, throwing a quick glance at his shorter friend.

" _Because he is the one that we Chose,"_ Uxie said, sounding puzzled for the first time at the question. _"All Pokémon know of the existence of the Chosen One, even if they are not aware of who he is when they meet him. Those who have been on this Earth for a longer time, however… it is we that are in danger, and we who know of him. We Chose him from the time of his birth. It is the Chosen One that we can rely on in times of peril, in much the same way we relied on him during the world's crisis in the Orange Islands."_

"But that was just a legend, wasn't it?" Ash burst out, clenching his teeth. "They only called me the Chosen One because I made the treasures shine, right?"

" _Did you believe that that title would not follow you?"_ Uxie asked, her voice faintly reproachful. She fluttered up and hovered beside Giratina, who was staring at them silently. _"Pokémon have many prophecies, prophecies that people do not have, and the Chosen One is featured in a good many of them. Many of your deeds were documented by Pokémon long, long ago, and this crisis was also foretold among our kind. Once your time has ended, a new Chosen One will take your place, to continue to fulfill those prophecies."_

"So, Ash was Chosen because of those prophecies?" Misty asked slowly.

Surprisingly, though, Uxie shook her head. _"The prophecies exist because there is a Chosen One. If there was no Chosen One, the world would already be in ruins, many times over. It is a title that the one we Choose carries over their entire life."_

At that, Pikachu finally struggled out of Misty's arms and leapt to the ground. Misty, who hadn't realised that she was still holding the electric type Pokémon, started, but Pikachu was already gone, bounding toward and Ash and jumped straight into his arms. Ash appreciated it; he was so lost and confused all of a sudden, and Pikachu's appearance was going a long way to grounding him.

" _The choice is yours,"_ Uxie said gently, and Ash was struck by the familiarity of those words, the very words that Lugia had said to him so long ago. _"I wish that it did not feel like we were tipping your hand, but events will continue to move forward regardless of what you say now."_

Ash drew in a deep breath. Just like back in the Orange Islands, there really wasn't much of a choice in the end, was there? Right from the beginning, no matter how much he floundered, he already knew what he would decide to do about this. He had come a long way from the trainer that he had been back then, and he had seen and learnt more.

He raised his head, straightening his shoulders.

"Do you know where the Legendary Pokémon are now?" he asked.

" _Not all of them,"_ Uxie said. _"But as we find more of my kind, we will discover the locations of those that we need to go to."_

"Right." Ash closed his eyes briefly, and then gave a firm nod. "Where do we need to go first?"

"Ash!" Delia burst out before Uxie could reply, and Ash turned toward her. She was wringing her hands, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find the words to tell him how much she didn't want him to do this, that she wished that he would stay here, where it was somewhat safer.

Ash wasn't the greatest at reading people, but he knew his own mother, and he knew what was causing that expression on her face. He smiled at her, and her breath caught; somehow, her little boy had grown up somewhat.

"I'll be alright, Mum," he said, grinning. "After all, I'll have all my Pokémon with me."

" _And us,"_ Uxie said seriously, and everyone turned to stare at her in surprise. _"The Pokémon that have been given protection intend to offer it in return. We will stay with you until this shadow has finally been dealt with. We will not leave you alone in a task that we are asking you to do for us."_

Suddenly, Misty snorted, breaking the serious atmosphere. "Sorry," she said when everyone turned to look at her. "I just had this image of Ash being followed by a line of Legendary Pokémon…"

"Now _that_ I'd like to see," Gary said with a laugh. But his eyes were serious as he turned to Ash. "In fact, I very much would like to. If that's alright with you, Ash."

Ash's eyes widened as he understood what Gary was offering. "But what about your studies in Sinnoh with Professor Rowan?"

"I'm sure he'd understand me taking an indefinite leave of absence to help out Gramps in a very important study," Gary said dismissively. He paused. "In all seriousness, I can't in good faith leave you alone in this, even if you have Legendary Pokémon with you. Even if there's nothing I can do, I'm coming with you."

"So am I." Ash's mouth fell open as he stared at the determined Misty. "My sisters can run the gym for a little while; Daisy has gotten really good at battling recently, so she'll be capable of taking on most challengers. And if they need any help, they'll be able to contact me on my Pokégear."

"But…" Ash gazed at the serious, stubborn expressions on the faces of his two friends, and gave it up as a lost cause. They had already made up their minds. "Well, if you're both sure, I bet I could use the help."

"Of course," Misty said, winking. "Since when did you ever _not_ need help?"

Ash scowled at her. "I can do plenty on my own."

"Sure," Gary said dismissively.

Ash growled. Somehow, he had the feeling that travelling with Misty and Gary was going to be a lot different than when he had his other friends to act as a buffer between them.

Still, despite the growing sense of dread he was feeling about what he had put himself in for when he accepted their company, Ash was glad that they were coming with him. He still didn't know quite what was happening, or how his world had gotten so messed up in the space of a few hours, but he knew he was never alone in anything that he did.

He looked down at Pikachu, and grinned when he saw the small Pokémon smiling up at him. No, he would never, ever be alone, no matter what happened.

POKEMONPOKEMON

Regardless of however Delia personally felt about the spontaneous trip that her son was taking, she gave no sign of it as she rushed about the house, making sure everything was organised for him. Having only come home the day before, Ash had been fully prepared to spend some time in Pallet Town with his mother and his Pokémon, well aware that they missed him as much as he missed them.

Unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn't to be, and now he was left to make sure that he had everything he needed after he had unpacked last night. Carefully, he stowed away the things that he always had with him, no matter what (making sure to push a certain handkerchief, lure and Pokéball half extra deep so there would never be a chance of his current travelling partners finding them), and then set about shoving as much in the bag as he possibly could. Along with his clothes, he made sure that he had his Pokédex in his pocket, just in case.

"Ash, honey, are you almost ready?" Delia called up the stairs. "Gary and Professor Oak just arrived."

That meant that Gary was ready to go. Ash gave one last shove to the things in his bag, crinkling the clothes that his mother had just folded for him, and zipped it up. Straightening, he swung it onto his back and took in a deep breath.

"Ready, Pikachu?" he asked the waiting Pokémon.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, leaping up to Ash's shoulder.

" _We will forever be in your debt,"_ Uxie said solemnly, fluttering down to settle on his hat; she seemed to like the perch she had found on his head.

"Don't worry about things like that," Ash said dismissively. If he wanted Legendary Pokémon in his debt, then he would have already called in the favours most of them owed him by now. "I'm just helping out since I can. You're my friend now, right?" He beamed. "So I'm just helping out a friend."

Uxie smiled. _"And this is why you were Chosen."_

She didn't explain further, and Ash didn't ask, simply shrugging his shoulders and leaving his room. Misty, his mother, Gary and Professor Oak were all waiting at the bottom of the stairs, Tracey having stayed behind to keep an eye on the Pokémon. Professor Oak was holding a bag, which looked too big to just be carrying the five Pokéballs that Ash had asked him to bring over.

"There he is," Gary said, grinning. "You'd best hurry, we need to stop at Cerulean City before we can get under way."

"After all, I only packed for a brief visit, not a long journey," Misty said with a laugh.

"Have you spoken to your sisters?" Ash asked curiously, going down the stairs.

"Yes; they aren't happy, but Daisy has said she'll make sure everyone tries their best," Misty said. She shook her head. "Lily and Violet will probably still complain when we arrive, though."

"They'll be fine," Ash said confidently. "You've been teaching Daisy to battle, so if she copies you she'll be a great gym leader."

Misty flushed slightly at the compliment, and then growled at Gary when he nudged her teasingly with his elbow. Professor Oak smiled.

"I'm glad that none of you a travelling alone at a time like this," he said. "For your journey, I have a few things for you to take with you. First, Ash, here are the Pokémon that you wanted to take with you."

"You're not just taking Pikachu?" Gary asked, watching as his grandfather handed over the five Pokéballs.

"This is too important," Ash said seriously, suddenly looking more mature than anyone present had ever given him credit for. "I have to make sure that I a full team of Pokémon with me."

Gary nodded, satisfied at the explanation. After all, he had decided the same, and Misty had been speaking about what Pokémon she would bring with her, as well. None of them wanted to be caught off guard on such a potentially perilous journey.

"Professor Oak and I have a few other things for you, as well," Delia added. "Over your time in Kalos, Ash, we discussed what things could be useful to you."

"This is one of them," Professor Oak said, pulling out a small watch-like device. "You might have seen them in Kalos, since that is where they were created. It's an Xtranseiver. You may have seen them in Unova, where they were created. Much like a Pokégear, it allows you to make calls at any time, though it has the added feature of allowing video."

Ash had a feeling that Professor Oak and Delia just wanted to be able to contact him at any time to make sure that they were all okay, but he didn't protest and just quietly clipped it around his wrist. Between the Xtranseiver and Misty's Pokégear, there would be a very rare chance that none of them would stay in contact.

"This is for you, Gary," Professor Oak, turning to his grandson. "I had originally planned to give it to you before you returned to Sinnoh. In Hoenn, the Devon Corporation made a device called a Pokénav, and they are always working to improve it." He pulled out the familiar device, which didn't look much different to how Ash remembered it when Max used to carry it around. "The settings will change when you enter a new region; it will give you a lot of information about where you are so that you won't get lost."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Gary said gratefully, taking it from the old man.

"With those, we hope your journey will run a lot smoother," Professor Oak said quietly. "The Pokénav, Gary, has an upgrade that will allow you to see news updates, regardless of where you are, so keep an eye on that; it might give you a clue as to where you need to go next."

"Thank you," Misty said with a nod. "We'll definitely put everything you've given us to use."

For a moment, they were quiet. The magnitude of the task that was in front of them seemed terribly great, and it was suddenly difficult to make a move toward the front door. Ash's heart pounded in his chest; this was different to the times when he would leave home to travel to a new region. At those times, the only thought in his mind was taking on different gyms and entering a new league.

This time, though, there was no time for gyms or leagues. The fate of many different Pokémon was resting on their shoulders, and there was every possibility that this journey might end up being too difficult for them to handle.

"We're not going to pretend that we don't know how dangerous this is," Delia said suddenly, breaking the silence. Her lip trembled slightly, but her eyes were determined and warm. "I wish we didn't have to send you kids out on a journey like this… I wish you could all just stay home, or find somewhere safer to be. But you've all made your decision. Please be careful."

"And just remember, don't forget to ask for help if you need it," Professor Oak said, an intent look in his eyes. "Delia, Tracey and I are right here, and I know that you, Ash, have made a lot of friends on your travels. They'll be there for you now if you need them to be."

It was a shock to realise that he was right, and Ash glanced at the looks of dawning comprehension on Gary's and Misty's faces as well. They had been preparing to leave, certain that it was currently them against the world. But that was wrong; between the three of them, they had made many friends, some of them being quite powerful. Gym Leaders, researchers, even Champions… they would not be lacking help if they needed it.

Ash grinned. Suddenly, the weight of the world didn't seem quite so heavy.

"We'll remember that," he said. "We'll _definitely_ remember that."

Delia smiled and then reached out. Knowing what she wanted, Ash stepped into her hug, and allowed her to wrap him in her arms; she wished that she could protect him, but she knew that she couldn't.

"Stay safe," she whispered. "Make sure to let me know how you are. I'll see you when you come home."

"You can count on it," Ash promised, pulling back and allowing Delia to hug Pikachu before he jumped back to Ash. Uxie had been silent through the entire process, waiting. "We'll let you know when we reach Cerulean City."

"We'd like that, thank you," Professor Oak said. "Good luck, all of you."

"Right," Gary said. "Let's go, then. No time for the present."

Staying any longer would only mean that they'd be dragging out their farewells, making it harder on all of them. With one last smile as his mother, Ash turned toward the door.

"Don't worry," he said as Gary opened it. "We'll definitely beat this!"

"If it's you, I don't doubt it," Professor Oak said, chuckling. "Go on, get on with you. We'll talk to you soon."

"And Ash?" Delia said, and Ash paused, looking back as she gave him a watery smile. "Don't forget to change your underwear."

It was such an inane thing, and Ash flushed as Misty and Gary sniggered. But underneath all that, he understood her need for some normalcy at a time like this, so he just offered her a grin.

"Sure, Mum," he said.

And then they were gone, closing the door behind them. Delia and Professor Oak didn't follow them out, and he was glad for that; they didn't need to say anything more at this point.

"What is that?" Misty suddenly asked, surprised.

Swinging around, Ash set his eyes on what Misty was staring at and blinked. For a moment, he wasn't quite sure what he was seeing, because he certainly hadn't expected it.

"What does it look like?" Gary asked with a shrug, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't expect us to traipse all around the country side, did you? Or," he sent a pointed look at the bike leaning against the wall of the house, "ride around on your bike?"

"I thought we'd be walking," Ash said blankly as Misty glared, staring at the very familiar red car parked on the road.

"And _this_ , Ashy-boy, is why you need someone like me," Gary said arrogantly. "Sure, we would walk, but we have a lot of ground to cover. Rather than spending days getting to Cerulean City, we'd be there by tonight. Don't worry," he added, laughing. "I'm sure we'll be doing more than enough walking and climbing to satisfy your inner hero."

"What was that?" Ash growled, flaring up at the mocking words.

"Well, it's your choice," Gary said with a yawn, twirling a key around his finger. He smirked. "What's it going to be?"

As much as Ash automatically wanted to refuse anything Gary wanted when he looked at him like _that_ , he couldn't help but reluctantly see the point. He liked walking during his journeys, because he could see new Pokémon and discover many new places. On this trip, however, it would be much easier if they could get to the general area quicker and then look on foot from there, especially since time was running out.

"Fine," he huffed. "We'll take the car."

"It _would_ make things simpler," Misty agreed reluctantly, as stubborn as Ash was when it came to conceding anything when she was upset.

"I thought you'd see it my way," Gary grinned, and his two companions bristled. "Get on in, then; if we want to get to Cerulean City before midnight, we need to leave now."

Pikachu, sensing his trainer's hesitation and irritation, rolled his eyes and jumped into the back seat, leaving Ash no choice but to follow. Misty sighed and followed, leaving Pikachu to happily seat himself between them. Smiling slightly, Uxie fluttered down and settled herself beside him.

"I still don't get where you learned to drive," Misty grumbled.

"Grandpa taught me on the reserve," Gary said with a shrug as he leapt into the front seat and started the car. "It's been a useful skill, since I need to go to a lot of places for my research." He grinned back at them. "I made Grandpa give me special permission before I left on my journey, so don't worry about it being illegal; the permission still stands, and I'm older now, so it should be fine."

" _Should_ be?" Ash asked incredulously.

"You never know. Fasten your seatbelts, now, because we're off."

Ash barely had time to make sure that both he and the two Pokémon were strapped in before the car was pulling away, quickly picking up speed. He probably would have been more worried if it wasn't for the fact that he had seen Gary drive all the way back when they travelled through Kanto; if he had been practicing even more since then, it was highly likely that he was an even better driver now.

"Hey, where did Giratina go?" Misty suddenly asked, glancing around before gazing own at Uxie. "I thought you said the Legendary Pokémon were going to stay with Ash?"

" _Giratina is following us,"_ Uxie said, amused. _"He is following us through the mirror world right now. If he is needed, he will come into this world. For now, he can fulfill his duty of staying with the Chosen One and still being able to look after his world."_

"That makes sense," Gary said. He glanced in the mirror. "Hey, Ash, Team Rocket said that you'd been to the mirror world before."

"Did they?" Ash asked, blinking. Actually, now that he thought about it… "Where did those guys go, anyway?"

"They yabbered something about not wanting to go back to the mirror world, and ran off," Misty said, deadpan. "So, when did _you_ go to the mirror world?"

"It was back in Sinnoh," Ash explained. "We were helping out a Shaymin, and we ended up getting caught up by Giratina because he wanted Shaymin's help."

"So you've met Giratina before?" Gary asked, interested. "And a _Shaymin_?"

"Don't sound so surprised," Misty said dryly. "The stories Ash could tell you would blow you away."

"I'd like to see you try," Gary said arrogantly. "Hit me with your best shot."

Ash and Misty glanced at each other, and then they grinned, the same thought occurring to them. After all, they had more than enough time to get through at least some of the stories.

"Well, I guess I'd better start on the first day I was a trainer…" Ash mused.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Four;_ Ash, Misty and Gary are on the road, heading to their first destination. But an unexpected and unpleasant surprise awaits them in Cerulean City.

 **A/N;** Here's a little bit of fun; I've already chosen the five Pokémon Ash takes with him on this journey, but they won't be revealed for a few chapters yet. If anyone wants to try guessing who they are, give it a go! I actually started writing this story during the Kalos arc, so no Kalos Pokémon have been included. Tell me who you think Ash has taken with him and I'll let you know how close you got! And bonus marks for anyone who wants to try and guess Misty and Gary's team.

 **Thanks to;**

PokeshipperByHeart, Capricon Aquarius FOZ, and Do The Cool Whip. While only three of you reviewed, they motivate me to get the next chapter, so thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Another week and another chapter. I hope everyone who is reading this story is enjoying it; this is the first in a planned series. Someone asked some questions about the shadow, and all I will say about it is two things; first, it has nothing to do with the Ultra Beasts, as I began this story before the new game out and I have yet to find out much about them (in saying that, Alola _will_ play a part in later stories), and, second, we will find out about the shadow gradually, so I'm not giving any answers away yet! Please enjoy this new chapter, and drop a review if you could.

 **Chapter Four;**

In hindsight, Ash and Misty were very glad that they managed to get to Cerulean City in one piece, and on time to boot. After all the stops out of shock Gary had made so that he could turn around and demand to know whether they were telling the truth, not to mention the fact that he had almost run them off the road not far away from Cerulean City when they told him about Entei and Molly Hale, it was a real surprise that it was only eight o'clock at night when they pulled up outside the gym.

"We're here," Misty said thankfully. "Ash, you can save the rest of the stories for when we get back on the road."

"There's… more?" Gary asked weakly, looking oddly pale; hearing about all the adventures his friend, who had started his journey at the same time, had been on had shocked him like nothing else ever would, and Ash was satisfied to see that.

Misty sent him a pitying look. "You'd best prepare yourself; those were just half the adventures that _I_ was there for. Ash went on to travel Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos from there."

"Huh," Gary said, sitting back. "You know, why don't you two go and get Misty's stuff. I'll just sit here and… think for a moment."

"We'll leave you to it," Misty said, rolling her eyes.

" _I, too, will stay here,"_ Uxie said, blinking slowly. _"I can feel things better when I am outside."_

"Alright, come on Pikachu," Ash said, opening the door for the yellow Pokémon to leap to the ground, shaking himself; he wasn't used to travelling in cars for such long distances. "We'll try not to be too long."

Gary gave them a weak wave in reply. Ash and Misty managed to make it around the corner before they gave up and burst out laughing. Despite the fact that Ash and Gary were friends now, Gary still had a habit of teasing him terribly, so it was glorious to finally get one up on him. The look on his face as he listened to their stories was absolutely priceless.

"Let's go get my bag and Pokémon," Misty said, still giggling as they made their way inside. "Daisy said she'd organise everything for me. Hopefully that means that she's distracting Lily and Violet, as well."

"Like, I heard that."

Ash and Misty paused and looked up, smiling sheepishly as they saw Daisy standing in front of them, her arms crossed. Despite her stern demeanour, though, there was a mischievous smile on her face.

"Of course, that's not to say I didn't set them up to watch some contest videos," Daisy continued, relaxing her arms and flicking her hair over her shoulder. "They're, like, totally enthralled at the moment, so make it quick, little sister."

Misty grinned. "Thanks, Daisy. I'm sorry to have to leave you with all this."

Daisy gave her a dismissive wave. "Like, it's meant to be our job anyway, not yours; _we_ were the original gym leaders, you know. We'll take care of it while you take some time off to travel with your boyfriend."

Misty flushed a deep red and Ash winced as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, feeling himself going warm as well. He was suddenly glad that Gary had decided to stay behind. It had been a long time since he had heard that particular taunt, and he and Misty were reacting about as well to it now as they did back then.

"Give me that," Misty snarled, grabbing her bag of her sister. "For the record, he's _not_ my boyfriend."

"I believe you," Daisy said, her tone giving away the untruth.

Misty growled. "Did you pack everything that I asked for?"

"Of course," Daisy said, her smile falling slightly. "You have Azumarill, right? Gyarados, Corsola and Politoed are all in there." She paused. "So is Psyduck."

"Psyduck?!" Misty exclaimed. "I didn't ask for Psyduck!"

"I know, but, like, you're the only one who can battle with him," Daisy said, shrugging. "He won't listen to anyone else, so I figured you'd best take him with you. It'll do him good to get out of the gym for a while."

Misty's eye twitched. "That dumb duck is going to end up haunting me, I just know it…"

"So, like, you two had better be careful out there," Daisy continued, ignoring her sister. A serious air had come over as she stared at both Ash and Misty. "I don't know what you're doing, but it must be important if you're suddenly taking time off, little sister. You two had best look after each other."

"We will," Ash and Misty said in unison, nodding.

"That's all I ask," Daisy said, before she beamed, the older sister air disappearing instantly. "And, like, don't forget to call every now and then, okay?"

"I won't forget," Misty said, bemused. "Thanks for everything, Daisy. I'll let you know when I'm coming home."

"You'd better," Daisy said, grinning.

"Let's go, then," Ash said, turning around.

At that moment, two things happened at once. From somewhere within the gym, two frightened screams sounded out, followed by a loud _crash_. Almost at the same moment, the front doors slammed open, admitting Uxie and Gary.

" _One of them is here!"_ Uxie said sharply. _"We must go further inside, now!"_

" _Here_?" Ash exclaimed.

"It must be with Lily and Violet!" Misty said, paling. "Uxie, what Pokémon is it?"

" _Suicune,"_ Uxie said solemnly, the weight of her words pressing on them all. _"Suicune is here."_

"Typical, since it's a water Pokémon gym," Gary said. He turned to Daisy, who looked terribly lost. "Quickly, take us to where your sisters are."

"This way," Daisy said, rousing herself and starting to run. "Would someone, like, tell me what's going on? Why do you have a Uxie with you, and what's a Suicune doing here?"

"It's a long story, we'll tell you after," Misty said. "For now, we have to find Lily and Violet!"

Finding Lily and Violet, it turned out, didn't end up being too hard. The two of them were running, screaming, down the hall, terrified looks in their faces as they almost crashed straight into the small group in their fright. Upon seeing their older sister, they clung to Daisy, looking more dishevelled than Ash had ever seen.

"Lily, Violet, what happened?" Daisy asked, concerned.

"It, like, came from nowhere!" Violet cried.

"It looks like Suicune, but there's something _wrong_ with it," Lily added, sniffling. "It leapt at us, so we just ran for it!"

"Well, that tells us that Suicune was captured," Gary said grimly, and the two sisters looked up, only just noticing their guests. "Where did it go?"

"I-into the gym," Lily said, pointing with a shaking finger.

"Let's go," Misty said, narrowing her eyes. No one attacked the gym on _her_ watch.

When Ash had first seen Giratina before he had saved him, he had been far too busy falling to really worry about the dark intent and the black smog that drifted eerily around him. Likewise, with Uxie, Giratina hadn't really given him an awful lot of time to look at the other Pokémon before he had snatched him up and carried him into the sky.

This time, however, as they crashed through the doors that led to large indoor pool that they used for gym battles, there was more than enough time for Ash to stop and just stare at the normally regal Pokémon standing on top of the water. It appeared to be waiting for them and Ash was reminded, suddenly, of the fact that most of the Pokémon who were captured by this dark shadow were left with the desire to find him and attack him.

For a moment, they stood facing off, eyeing each other. The rest of the world momentarily melted away as Suicune turned its head to look at Ash through its glowing, red eyes. The same black mist had formed around Suicune, almost dancing spookily around the Pokémon. The entire effect was ethereal and ghost-like… and it struck a deep fear in Ash that he didn't even realise existed until that very moment.

"Suicune," Misty whispered, bringing Ash back to the present. He realised, suddenly, that he wasn't the only one that was scared; even Gary was trembling slightly, staring at the Pokémon in shock.

"Now what?" Daisy asked shakily.

Ash took a deep breath. He'd already been through this twice, once by accident and once after being forced to figure it out before he fell to his death (though he liked to think Giratina might have prevented that from happening). He knew what he needed to think and do, this time.

The only problem was that he couldn't seem to move his feet. Whatever that mist was, it seemed to have some sort of paralysing effect, as though it struck everyone who stared at it with terror and prevented them from moving. Ash had seen something like it before, on the battlefield, but he had never seen it happen outside a Pokémon battle before.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a time where they could afford something like this to happen. Suicune was standing there, waiting, but that could change at any moment. This Suicune, the Suicune that had been taken over by a shadow intent on ruling over the Legendary Pokémon, was unpredictable and dangerous.

Slowly, Ash gritted his teeth and lifted one foot. He knew that he had to move, and everything in him was trying to force his body to do _something._ One step, at the moment, seemed like such an incredible effort, and he almost caught himself feeling pleased at the small victory of being able to take one.

One step, unfortunately, wasn't enough. Suicune's eyes gleamed as it turned around fully to face them, and Ash knew, without a doubt, that the Pokémon was about to strike.

All of a sudden, though, the water in the pool exploded upward. Ash glanced down at Pikachu, seeing the same understanding on his face; they had seen this before, the unique whirlpool that formed a portal into the mirror world.

Giratina was coming through.

" _Giratina has sensed our trouble,"_ Uxie said softly. _"He is coming to help us."_

With a furious roar that made Daisy, Lily and Violet, who had never heard of Giratina and had no idea what was happening, quake, Giratina emerged from the water, his form shifting as it adjusted to the outside world. Then, almost before they could blink, Giratina dove at Suicune and forced it down into the water.

"Wait, will Giratina take Suicune into the mirror world?" Gary asked sharply.

" _No, Giratina knows what is at stake."_ Ash glanced up at Uxie, but she was watching the battle fixedly. _"He is holding down Suicune, despite the fact that he cannot hope to win in the water."_

Holding Suicune down… for _him_ , Ash realised. All of a sudden, feeling surged back into his legs. He had a job to do now, and he had no business just standing here while Giratina was waiting for him. He was running before he even realised it, barely hearing Pikachu, Misty and Gary calling after him in shock.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" he threw back over his shoulder. "I need to help Giratina!"

Then he gulped in a deep breath and leapt into the pool.

It was not the first time that Ash had found himself fully submerged in water, nor would it be the last. Like always, the first thing he noticed was the way the world instantly became muted, as though he had had thick cotton suddenly stuffed into his ears. For a moment, he just floated in the water as everything slowed down around him.

Then he saw Giratina and Suicune. Suicune was thrashing in Giratina's hold; it didn't seem as though the larger Pokémon, unaccustomed to fighting under water, would be able to keep his grip for much longer, even though he had the obvious size advantage. Straightening his shoulders, Ash kicked out and swam quickly forwards.

Suicune's eyes shot open as he approached, its glowing red eyes even eerier down here in the water, Giratina's shadow blocking out most of the light. It almost made Ash pause, but he gritted his teeth and moved forwards. Before he could get far, however, Suicune opened its mouth and roared.

At least, it was likely supposed to be a roar. Ash had heard Suicune roar before, and it had been a loud, harsh sound that made the trees tremble around it. Here underwater, however… it didn't sound anything like that.

It was the most unearthly sound that Ash had ever heard, and it made him stop before he'd even consciously realised that he had done so. Under the water, the sound was less a roar and more an echoing shriek that shuddered through the pool. A cold shiver ran down his spine. It sounded just like that strange sound Uxie had made when she was attacking them.

And then, with an almighty effort, Suicune through Giratina off. Ash could hear the muted sound of Giratina's roar above the water as he lost his balance, the water becoming turbulent as he struggled to find purchase on the wet marble. Waves washed over Ash, crashing into him and sending him spinning about as he tried to kick upwards, knowing that he had to get back to the surface. But Suicune moved through the water effortlessly, almost as though it was one with it, heading directly for Ash.

' _Damn it!'_ Ash thought, giving one last kick. His head broke the surface, and greedily gulped in the air that was suddenly available to him. Out here, everything was so much louder, the sounds bouncing off the water and echoing around the large room.

"Ash, what's going on?" Misty yelled to him.

"Suicune's…!" Ash started.

Suddenly, he was pulled back under the water, having only a second to breathe in when he felt the grip on his leg before he was cut off. Growling internally, he swung around; if Suicune had grabbed him, then he it was close enough for him to get hold of.

But Suicune had not physically pulled him under. Instead, Ash was met with the sight of what looked like thin ribbons of dark water wrapping around his ankle, holding him in place. Some distance away, close but not close enough, Suicune watched with dark eyes, and Ash knew that he was in trouble.

Desperately, he struggled, kicking out with his free leg. Uxie had mentioned, on the way over here, that finding and freeing the Legendary Pokémon wouldn't always be so easy and he had known, logically, that they were out to attack him the moment they saw him. It hadn't dawned on him until just this moment, however, that they were really going to go to any lengths necessary to remove him as a threat.

He had been careless. Jumping into the water to challenge Suicune in its own territory, believing that the part of Suicune that wouldn't harm him would win out… he had fallen straight from the trick, and now he was paying for it.

If only he could get to Suicune! Slowly, Ash calmed himself. Struggling like this was only wasting the precious breath and energy he had, and he didn't have long as it was. The ropes of water weren't letting him escape from the pool, or kick upwards.

So perhaps they would let him go _deeper._

It was a dangerous gamble, but Ash knew he had to take it. Giratina had already removed himself from the pool, its large form casting a shadow over the entire thing as he looked for a moment to intervene. But Ash was so close to Suicune that Giratina wouldn't dare to take a swipe now.

That meant it was up to Ash. Summoning all the courage he had, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Misty's calling him all sorts of idiot, Ash pretended that he couldn't feel his burning lungs and dove down.

The ribbons fell away easily, dissipating in the water as he rushed toward Suicune. Even Suicune appeared startled, and it hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to make of this oddly suicidal move. It was all Ash needed; in the seconds that it took for Suicune to realise that it needed to move, he had managed to hook his arms around its neck, and hold on tightly.

Suicune opened its mouth and let out that odd sound again, but Ash squeezed his eyes shut, begged his body to hold on for just a little while longer, and tightened his grip. He had Suicune now, and he refused to let go, even as the Legendary Pokémon thrashed wildly.

' _I have you,'_ he thought desperately. _'I'm here, I'll protect you, I promise. Please, please listen to me…'_

He barely saw the blue glow through his closed eyelids, but he certainly felt the flush of warmth that rushed through him as well as the way Suicune was calming. He couldn't stop, though, and he concentrated as hard as he could, until…

With a sudden blast of energy, Ash was torn away from Suicune and carried away on the current of water that was pulling him. Startled, he opened his mouth and water rushed down his throat, but he didn't really have time to panic about it when suddenly he was flying through the air and hitting the bleachers. He crashed into a line of seats, and the world went dark for a moment as pain exploded.

When the world reformed itself, it was to hear the sound of footsteps rushing up toward him, the ground vibrating under his cheek. Groaning, he raised his head and looked blearily at the forms running to him, the small yellow one in the lead.

"Ash, Ash!" Misty yelled, falling to her knees beside him moments after Pikachu leapt at him, nuzzling his face in worry. "Are you alright?"

"I feel like something just hit me," Ash moaned, lowering his head.

"You don't look so great, either," Gary said with a weak grin. "Man, if this is what's going to happen every time, maybe we ought to start carrying around a mattress with us."

"Like, what is even going on?!" Lily demanded, sounding frustrated.

"Chill, sis," Daisy sighed. "Misty's already promised to explain when everything is all over."

"I don't mean to be a downer now that we know Misty's boy is alright," Violet's voice said shakily. "But that Suicune just stood up and is coming toward us."

Ash's eyes opened again. Right, they weren't done yet. On the off chance that it hadn't worked, he might have to go through that all over again. Groaning, he pulled himself into a sitting position, and Misty and Gary helped him up, their eyes betraying their worry. Then they turned to face the Legendary Pokémon that had stopped several paces away, watching them quietly.

Instantly, Ash knew he hadn't failed. He huffed out a laugh, making his friends relax, and he held out his hand. Suicune bowed its head and came forward, pressing its nose into his skin with a quiet sound of what sounded like apology and relief.

"Looks like Suicune is alright, now," Ash said gratefully. "I hope you weren't in too much pain."

" _She will be alright,"_ Uxie said quietly. _"She will need to recover from the ordeal, in much the same way as you, but she is strong."_

Ash smiled gently, and Suicune pulled back. He could almost feel her agreement, like he had felt emotions from Giratina earlier in the day (and was it really still the same day that he had woken up to, not knowing about any of this?), but he decided to keep that to himself for now.

"So, it's not going to attack us now?" Violet asked cautiously.

"What's a Suicune even doing here in Cerulean City?" Lily asked, crossing her arms. "Little sister, I think you need to tell us what's going on."

Ash shared a glance with Misty and Gary. They weren't planning to tell too many people about their new quest, but these girls were Misty's family. Ash and Gary had been able to tell

their families about what was going on, so it was only right that Misty was given the same chance.

"Suicune shouldn't have been here, but she must have been close by," Ash finally started reluctantly. "She was looking for me."

"No duh," Daisy said, waving a hand dismissively. "Once you were in the pool, it was like the rest of us didn't even exist. But why was she acting to oddly? And what is Giratina and Uxie doing here?"

"Giratina and Uxie are travelling with us… though Giratina stays out of sight," Misty said, smiling slightly when her sisters gaped at her. "The Legendary Pokémon are in trouble, and they need Ash's help. So Gary and I have decided to go with him." She looked at her sisters, straightening determinedly. "He needs our help on this… he has to save the Legendary Pokémon from whatever is causing them to behave like this, and he can't do it alone."

For a long moment, all was silent as the sisters stared at each other. It was far from the entire story, but Ash had the sneaking suspicion that Daisy, at least, had managed to fill in the gaps. He wouldn't blame them at all if they were upset; after all, he was dragging their younger sister into something dangerous.

Daisy sighed, shaking her head bemusedly. Next to her, Lily rolled her eyes and Violet shrugged. None of them seemed particularly angry, but more resigned.

"Honestly, you and these adventures of yours," Daisy said with a small smile. "I don't know everything but, like, don't get so busy saving the world that you forget to tell us how you are, alright? You've got that Pokégear for a reason, you know. After seeing all that with Suicune, we don't want to be the last to know if something happens to you."

"Thanks, Daisy," Misty said, her face relaxing into a smile. "And Lily and Violet, too. We'll be back before you know it."

"You better," Violet said.

"We'll definitely be waiting to hear from you," Lily said with a smile.

"And Misty, Ash, Gary?" Daisy added, making sure she had the attention of all of them. "You make sure you look after each other." She looked at the Uxie that had settled on Ash's head once more. There was a strangely knowing look on her face. "I'll trust these kids with you, then."

" _With Giratina, Suicune and myself to watch over them now, they will be safe, I swear it,"_ Uxie said with a small laugh.

"Daisy…?" Misty asked slowly, brow furrowing as she realised her sister was acting a little odd.

"Not to worry, little sister," Daisy said with a wink and Misty stared at her for a moment before nodding reluctantly.

"With that said, we'll let you go, then," Lily said. "We need to close up now, and you're probably eager to get going." She grinned. "We all have some dates, and we, like, have to get ready if we're going to be on time!"

"Of course," Misty said dryly.

Ash couldn't help but smile. Misty complained bitterly about her sisters more often than not, but it was times like this when it was all too plain to see how much they loved one another. The heartfelt wishes of the three normally ditzy girls as they gave them a determinedly cheerful farewell gave Ash a warmth that carried him outside and into the car, where they waved until the gym was out of sight.

It was only when they had left the gym behind, however, that Gary suddenly pulled over, blinking as he realised that even he hadn't thought about the obvious before now.

"Misty… those were your sisters," he said slowly.

"Yes," Misty said, puzzled.

"And it's late at night."

"Your point?" Ash asked.

Gary stared back at them. "Why didn't we ask them to put us up for the night?"

Ash and Misty stared back at him. Somehow… that was a concept that hadn't occurred to them.

"Well, I'll just turn around and…" Gary started.

"No," Misty said firmly.

"Misty, it's getting late and we need to find somewhere to stay," Gary said, forced patience in his voice. "If we don't head back, we'll end up staying at either the Pokémon Centre, or camping."

"Then we can stay at a Pokémon Centre if you don't want to set up camp," Misty said stubbornly. "I refuse to go back to the gym after all that; I'd never hear the end of it!"

Gary opened his mouth to argue, reconsidered it and then shrugged. "Pokémon Centre it is, then."

Ash just rolled his eyes. It was times like these, he thought as he scratched Pikachu's head gently, making the small Pokémon let out a contented "Chaaa", that he was glad he didn't have to deal with sibling dynamics.

"Better get there soon, it's getting late," he said with a grin.

Gary huffed out a quiet laugh and pulled back onto the road. Ash leaned back in the plush seat and finally allowed himself to relax, staring up at the stars overhead. Uxie was leaning against his side, Suicune had disappeared off somewhere, and Giratina had already headed back to the Reverse World. It had been a long day.

But it was the first step in what promised to be an incredibly long journey… the first _successful_ step.

' _We can do it,'_ he decided. _'Between all of us… we'll make it, I know it.'_

Later, when he thought about it, he wouldn't even remember dropping off to sleep as he listened to the soft hum of the car's engine.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Five;_ With Suicune now with them and not entirely sure where to go next, the group decides to stop at Saffron City. There, they find a little more direction than they expected from an old friend.

 **Thanks to;**

Bankerrtx01 and the two Guests who dropped their reviews. Every little bit counts!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** A little early, but I was just so excited to get the next chapter out! I hope everyone enjoys this one as well!

 **Chapter Five;**

Ash was a little disorientated to find himself waking up in a bed the next morning. While he didn't remember the exact moment that he fell asleep, he at least knew that his last memory was of sitting in the car as they drove to the Pokémon Centre. Looking around the room, he knew that that was where he was, and he could see Misty's and Gary's bags leaning against the wall along with his own.

Blinking, he pushed back the covers and sat up. Uxie and Pikachu had disappeared somewhere, as well, and, checking his belt, he noticed that his Pokéballs were missing.

' _What time is it?'_ he wondered, bewildered, fumbling around for a moment before he realised that the Xtranseiver that Professor Oak and his mother had given him also told the time. Glancing at the screen, his eyes widened. _'Two o'clock!'_

Why had Misty and Gary allowed him to sleep so late?! Yes, they had gotten to Cerulean Gym late last night, and then had had to deal with Suicune, but still…! Hurriedly, he jumped out of bed, slipping and crashing to the floor when his foot got tangled in the blanket. Just as he was struggling to his feet, the door of the room swung open and Gary entered, looking a bit bemused as he stared at his friend's frantic state.

"Hey, Ash, we were wondering when you were going to wake up," he said calmly.

"Why did I sleep so late?" Ash groaned, rubbing his head and relaxing at the sight of Gary.

Once he did so, however, his body decided that now was the moment to complain – _loudly_ – about the treatment he had given it yesterday. He slumped back, not sure what he should focus on first; the thumping headache, the massive bruises on his back, or the searing pains in his muscles.

"If I had to guess, I'd figure that the fact that you feel so bad right now had something to do with it," Gary said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he stepped forward and helped Ash up so that he could at least sit on the bed. "Uxie said that you used up a lot of energy yesterday… more than you were used to, and more than you probably should have. She said that it would be best for you to just sleep and recover for now. Misty took all your Pokémon downstairs for breakfast this morning." He gave a low whistle. "You pulled out all the stops on those Pokémon, didn't you?"

Ash grinned unrepentantly. He hadn't been lying when he said he had wanted some of his best trained Pokémon with him. That wasn't to say he hadn't left a lot of the Pokémon that he would have liked to have taken behind, but the six that he had with him – including Pikachu, naturally – were just some of the Pokémon that he trusted wholeheartedly.

Still, it was good to know that Gary approved of his choices. He had spent so many years looking for even a smidgeon of respect from his once-rival that it was almost startling, sometimes, to get it now that they were on good terms again.

"Yeah, some of my Pokémon are disappointed at not being chosen, but I know I can switch out if I need to," Ash said, smiling slightly. He stretched and winced. "What time are we leaving?"

"As soon as you're ready," Gary said. He snickered. "Which I assume will be after you've eaten."

Ash's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, reminding him that he had missed breakfast that morning and the last meal it had had were the sandwiches they had nibbled on in the car yesterday. Gary outright laughed and Ash flushed.

"Thought so," he said. "Think you can make it downstairs?"

"Of course I can!" Ash said somewhat indignantly, jumping to his feet.

It was the wrong move. The room spun startlingly around him and, in the next second, he found himself blinking up at the ceiling, flat on his back. Gary hovered over him, not looking particularly impressed.

"I'll just go ahead and say it, but I figure you probably shouldn't move that fast," he said with the air of someone trying to explain a difficult concept to a toddler.

Ash didn't even think about snapping back, too embarrassed to try. Instead he just let Gary pull him to his feet, and pretended that he wasn't leaning on his rival somewhat as they made their way out of the room.

He had half expected to find his Pokémon wreaking havoc in the centre, but only Misty, Pikachu and Uxie were downstairs, Misty reading a book while Pikachu appeared to be chatting with the small Legendary Pokémon. They all looked up as Gary and Ash entered, causing Misty's face to relax at the sight of him.

"Ash, we were getting a bit worried when you didn't wake up," she said.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu said, jumping off the couch and bounding over to him.

"Guess I was just tired," Ash said with a laugh, opening his arms so that Pikachu could jump into them. "I sure am hungry now, though."

"Typical," Misty said, rolling her eyes. "The cafeteria is open, so we'll head in there before we leave."

Ash's stomach rumbled again, but this time he was too cheered at the prospect of food to be embarrassed about it. He pulled away from Gary and hurried after Misty, who had closed her book and started making her way to the glass doors at the other end of the centre.

A familiar weight settled up on his head, and he glanced up to find Uxie leaning over, looking at him with a serious expression.

" _Your aura is no longer fluctuating in the way that it was last night and this morning,"_ she commented. _"I am glad that it has settled."_

"Aura?" Ash asked, Gary and Misty stepping closer to hear.

" _You do not think that the strange power you are using comes from nowhere, do you?"_ Uxie asked, sounding amused. _"The blessing that you give us comes from your aura, which has been infused with your spirit. It is a unique blessing that only the Chosen One can give us."_

Ash didn't know what to say to that. He didn't like Uxie calling it a 'blessing', because that put him in mind of myths and gods… and he was certainly no deity. It made him uncomfortably aware of just how much the most powerful Pokémon in the world were currently depending on him, a small, fragile human.

"Hey, Uxie, you never told us," Gary said suddenly, glancing at the uneasy expression on Ash's face. "What are you even doing in Kanto? Aren't you supposed to be at Lake Acuity in Sinnoh?"

" _Ordinarily, yes; it is usually very rare that I leave my home unless I am forced to,"_ Uxie said, inclining her head. _"This time, however, I left of my own free will. I was already in Kanto when the shadow caught up with me."_

"Already in Kanto?" Misty asked, startled; they had all assumed that Uxie had been captured before she made her way to Kanto. Though, in retrospect, it made sense; she wouldn't have gotten to Ash so fast if she hadn't been close by at the time. "Why had you already travelled so far?"

" _I was already looking for the Chosen One,"_ Uxie said, drifting off Ash's head and looking at them. The small group was barely aware that they had stopped just before the doors to the cafeteria. _"I am a being of knowledge, and the uneasiness that I felt in the land led me to understand that I needed to find the Chosen One at all costs. My preoccupation with my task, however, led to my capture and our eventual meeting."_

"So you were already coming to find Ash?" Gary asked. "Will other Legendary Pokémon have acted in the same way?"

" _We all felt the wrongness in the land,"_ Uxie said. _"I do not know how many of us acted before it was too late. Those who acted first are likely still running, hoping to happen on the Chosen One. Now that you are on the move, it will be more difficult for my brethren to find you."_

"Suicune found us easily enough," Misty pointed out.

" _Suicune knew of you, the leader of a water Pokémon gym that is connected to the Chosen One,"_ Uxie returned. _"To her, it was the most logical place to start. The others will not be quite so lucky."_

Ash swung around, staring at Uxie. He had gotten the general gist of what had happened to Uxie prior to their meeting, but something she had just said had struck a chord with him. If one Legendary Pokémon knew of Misty…

"Wouldn't some of them know my other friends, as well?" he demanded. "What if they go after them to try and get to me?"

For a moment, Uxie didn't answer.

" _I cannot say that it will not happen,"_ she said finally, and Ash's heart fell. _"But their primary need will be to get to you; most of them will not think of attempting to capture another human, especially when you are so far away from them."_

"Well, that's a relief to know," Gary said, putting a hand on Ash's shoulder. "As long as we keep them out of this, we should be alright."

"I guess," Ash said reluctantly.

He was still worried, though. All of his friends had been on at least one adventure with him that involved a Legendary Pokémon, and that wasn't even counting the fact that some of them had their own connections with those Pokémon; Max with Jirachi, Dawn with Mesprit and May with Manaphy were the strongest examples that he could think of right now. Then there was Brock, who had travelled with him for a very long time, and had met more than a few Legendary Pokémon.

Still, there wasn't much he could do about it right now. He didn't even know exactly where any of his other friends were right at this very moment, and they were all blissfully unaware of the important task he had taken on.

"Come on, let's get something to eat," Misty said, eager to break the solemn air that had fallen over them.

At the reminder of food, Ash shook off the dark thoughts that were attempting to plague him. He couldn't worry about what was going to happen in the future, because doing so never helped him. He had always been the type of trainer to simply live in the present, and take each situation as it came. Something like this was no different; he would just have to deal with it if it ever happened.

As such, he set his shoulders and dashed past his surprised friends.

"Come on, let's move, I'm hungry!" he said, waiting for the doors to open before he raced inside, ignoring the aches that the movement caused in his body. "No sense thinking on an empty stomach!"

For now, nothing serious like that had happened. His focus had to be on what was directly ahead rather than on what may never occur.

"Pika pi pika," Pikachu laughed, wriggling out of his arms and jumping onto his shoulders.

Ash grinned. And, right now, food was right at the top of the list of things that were most important to him. After all, food was sustenance, and he would need plenty of that for the journey ahead, that was for sure.

And if he was aware of the way Uxie didn't look away from him the entire time he was eating… then he would pretend that he didn't notice just for now.

POKEMONPOKEMON

"So, now that we're officially on the road, what's our next stop?" Gary asked, turning to Ash after he had settled himself in front of the wheel.

Ash felt Misty's eyes on the back of his head, and somewhat regretted the fact that he had won the right to sit up front this time around. He stared back at his friend, not sure why he had such an expectant look on his face.

"Why are you asking me?" he asked blankly.

"You're the one who have met most of these Legendaries," Gary pointed out, sounding annoyed. "Surely you have _some_ idea of where they might want to hang out."

" _My brethren are not in their right minds,"_ Uxie said, coming to Ash's defence. _"Even if the Chosen One was aware of where they_ should _be, it doesn't mean that they will still be there now."_

"…Right." Gary dragged the word out in exasperation, and then sighed. "From what I've gathered, most Legendary Pokémon seem to live in specific regions. If we had to try and find them, what Pokémon would we need to track down here in Kanto?"

Ash brightened. That one, at least, was an easy question. "I think we'd need to find Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres and Mew, right, Misty?"

"That sounds about right to me," Misty agreed.

"And where would they be if they _were_ where they were supposed to be?" Gary pressed slowly.

"For Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, we could try the Orange Islands; remember we told you about that?" Ash asked, thinking hard. "And for Mew, we could go to…" He snapped his mouth closed.

"Ha, you _do_ know!" Gary crowed, a satisfied look on his face. "Spit it out, then, Ashy-boy, what aren't you telling us?"

A flash of memory, of a tree's ecosystem rebelling and a Lucario vanishing before his eyes, crossed Ash's mind, and he pressed his lips together. At the dark look on his face, Gary's expression of victory faded.

"Ash?" he asked.

"Mew's home… isn't somewhere that we should be," Ash said, turning away and hunching his shoulders. "I hope Mew isn't there."

Gary glanced over his shoulder at Misty, a question in his eyes. Misty just shrugged and shook her head; that was one of the adventures that she hadn't been present for.

"Hey, weren't you telling me the stories of the Legendary Pokémon you've met?" Gary asked suddenly. "You'd just finished telling me about the fake Entei and the Unown." He started the car and glanced at Ash. "You know, we don't have to go there if we don't need to. Whatever promise you're keeping to either someone else or yourself… isn't it more important that all of has as much information as possible?"

Ash thought about that, and slowly unwound, offering Gary a weak grin in apology.

"Sorry, that wasn't a good adventure," he said, and his head drifted down to scratch Pikachu's ears; he had curled up on Ash's lap and fallen asleep. "Pikachu went missing, and we all almost got swallowed by a tree… and a friend that we made along the way died."

Gary frowned. "Is that the next story?"

Ash blinked. "No, actually, the next one was about a Celebi that we met."

"Then don't jump the cue," Gary said, huffing. He paused, his eyes widening, and then he jerked the steering wheel, almost hitting the sign that cheerfully welcomed people to Cerulean City when they were travelling the other way. "Celebi?!"

"Woah, Gary, we'll stop telling stories if you're going to crash us out of shock!" Misty yelped, grabbing onto the top of the door.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed in protest, having been woken violently when he was thrown to the floor.

Ash didn't say anything, just rubbed his head where he had smacked it against the windscreen. That was it, Misty was more than welcome to have the front seat from now on.

"Maybe we should decide where we're going first?" he said, annoyed as Pikachu scrambled back onto his lap.

"Did you just say something sensible, Ash?" Misty teased, leaning forwards after she managed to right herself. "I agree, though; where should we go first?"

"Well, the birds are in the Orange Islands, right?" Gary asked. "That's a bit far away from here. Where is Mew's home?"

" _Mew is closer,"_ Uxie said quietly. _"However, there is one place you have forgotten. Samiya also currently makes its home in Kanto's seas."_

"Samiya?" Ash asked, confused.

"You don't mean the mythical sea temple that was once said to be home to the people of the sea?" Gary asked sceptically.

' _That sounds familiar,'_ Ash thought, frowning as he tried to remember.

"The one with the sea crown that can make someone the King of the Sea?" Misty added.

"Oh, Manaphy's home!" Ash said, shooting upright with a grin. "I forgot about that. Did you say it's in Kanto right now?"

" _Yes, it drifts continuously over the world,"_ Uxie said. _"As one who was once bestowed with the temple's power, I am certain that it will open to you. I can guide you there."_

"Would the Shadow have found it?" Ash asked curiously. "Since it can only be seen when the moon has an eclipse."

"You mean a lunar eclipse," Gary corrected absently. "Do you mean to say you've seen Samiya, Ash?"

"Yeah, we found a Manaphy egg, and we had to take it back to its home," Ash said, shrugging.

"Just another day in the life of," Misty said dryly.

"I'm not even surprised anymore…" Gary muttered, sinking down. "You could at least have the decency to _pretend_ that discovering supposedly mythical temples under the sea is unusual."

Ash shot him a blank look, not sure what he was getting at. He was even more confused when Misty laughed, patting him on the shoulder, and Pikachu shook his head.

"So, which is closer now?" Gary asked, giving up. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the worst of the shocks he received over the course of this journey. "Mew or Manaphy?"

" _Samiya currently makes its home off the coast of Vermillion City,"_ Uxie said, settling herself down beside Ash. _"The Tree of Beginning is located between Pewter City and Mt Moon; we have already passed it."_

"Of course we did," Gary growled, shooting Ash a glare. "You didn't think to mention this earlier?"

"I didn't think about it," Ash said in defence.

"We have to come back anyway," Misty said in a placating manner. "The quickest way to get to Johto is through the Indigo Plateau, which is past Viridian City. We'll head to Samiya first, grab a boat out to the Orange Islands, and go through Cerulean City to get to the Tree of Beginning."

"We _could_ go back to the way we came, go to Samiya from Vermillion City, take the boat to Orange Islands, and then take another boat to Olivine City," Gary pointed out dryly. "It would be a lot quicker."

"I'd rather leave the Tree of Beginning for now," Ash said firmly, crossing his arms. "At least until we know for sure that Mew is definitely there."

"And how, exactly, are we going to find _that_ out, Ashy-boy?" Gary asked sardonically.

"If we stop at Saffron City, I can phone Cameron Palace," Ash said, brightening as the idea occurred to him. "Lady Rin might be able to tell me if anything weird has happened recently!"

" _If there has been unusual activity at the Tree of Beginning, then it will mean that Mew has been caught by the shadows,"_ Uxie added. _"If all is right, there is every possibility that Mew has managed to escape and has instead fled to safer areas, meaning that we may not need to visit the tree at all."_

"It isn't a bad idea," Misty said musingly. "Saffron City isn't far away, so it won't hurt us to stop there for a bit. Then we can figure out where to go from there."

"Fine," Gary groused, rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying it would be easier to go and check ourselves. If Mew _is_ at the Tree of Beginning, we're going to have to go back anyway."

Ash didn't say anything, having the feeling that telling Gary that he very much hoped Mew _wasn't_ as the Tree of Beginning would just be inviting an argument. Gary didn't know what had happened at that place, so he couldn't possibly understand Ash's reluctance to return to the place that had tried to kill he and his friends, as well as being the site of a good friend's death.

"Well, we'll be at Saffron City in about an hour," Gary said after a moment with a sigh, giving in. He'd _never_ understand Ash… "Why don't you tell me what happened with Celebi on the way?"

"Sure," Ash said, perking up. Misty leaned forward with a grin. "It started when we took a boat to Arborville…"

POKEMONPOKEMON

Gary's impatience was almost palpable; Ash had managed to keep him suitably distracted over the journey to Saffron City, awing his companion with the story of Celebi's capture and the time-travelling Sammy (to which he got an oddly contemplative look before grumbling about his grandfather never telling him _anything_ , which he refused to explain), but reaching the city had only reminded Gary that they were losing time that they could have been using to head back to the Tree of Beginning. It wasn't that Ash didn't understand where his friend was coming from in that regard; he just wished Gary would be more understanding about his wish to check before he had to go back there.

"Here we are," Gary said, pulling up outside the Pokémon Centre. "Let's make it quick, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ash said, leaping out of the car. "I'll be as fast as possible."

He swung around, intending to run into the Pokémon Centre and find the phone. He jerked backwards, however, and almost fell back into the convertible when he found that someone had come up directly behind him and he was about to run into them. It took a moment for Ash to regain his balance, and he had to grab the side of the car before he fell over.

"My apologies," a voice – a very _familiar_ voice – said quietly. "I didn't mean to startle you, Ash."

Eyes wide, Ash looked up at the tall gym leader, mouth opening and closing a few times. While he'd never admit it readily, this was the one gym leader that had ever truly scared him, and not just because of how strong she was.

"S-Sabrina!" he yelped.

Swiftly, remembering that they had a Pokémon with them that would look a bit odd in every day society, he looked back to where Uxie had been sitting beside Pikachu and realised that the legendary Pokémon had abruptly disappeared. He doubted she would return until they were alone again.

"Ah, hi, Sabrina!" Misty said from within the car, shrinking back ever so slightly; she, too, remembered what happened the last time they had met Sabrina… vividly. "It's good to see you again."

Sabrina's eyes crinkled in amusement, and Ash found himself relaxing slightly. The Sabrina he remembered had not shown any emotion at all until right before he left.

"Somehow, I don't think you believe that sentiment," she said, and Misty flushed. "Rest assured, I completely understand your reaction. All I can offer is my sincere apologies for the ordeal that I put you all through and promise that I am no longer that person."

"Ordeal?" Gary asked curiously, blinking; he hadn't faced the Saffron City Gym, having skipped it in favour of other gyms because of its reputation.

"We'll tell you about it later," Misty said with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry I almost ran into you, Sabrina," Ash said, finally sorting out his thoughts; Pikachu was still crouched warily on the seat behind him, eyeing the gym leader in case she pulled anything funny. "Were you going to the Pokémon Centre?"

"No, I came here to find you," Sabrina said, smiling slightly when Ash blinked. She looked over his head at Gary. "Would you be able to take us to the café that is a few blocks away from here? I am meeting someone there, and I would like to treat my old friends before I hand over the information I have for Ash."

' _Psychic, remember,'_ Ash reminded himself.

"Uh… sure, I guess that's okay," Gary said, unnerved. "Hop on in and tell us where to go."

Ash shrugged and got back into the car, suddenly glad, for the first time, that he was sitting up front. Misty looked incredibly uneasy about sitting next to Sabrina, though she had relaxed somewhat since the gym leader's first appearance.

"Perhaps, once we have finished at the café, I will take you on a tour of the gym," Sabrina said as the car started. "I would be happy to show the two of you my new doll collection."

"No, that's okay, you don't need to!" Ash hurried to assure her, his voice rising slightly as remembered panic hit him.

"We wouldn't want to take away any more of your time!" Misty yelped at the same moment.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu groaned, huddled on Ash's lap.

Gary looked incredulously at Ash, not sure what had caused that reaction. And then, suddenly, Sabrina laughed, her features softening as she did so. It took Ash a moment to realise that she was _teasing_ them, and he couldn't help but reluctantly grin.

"Please don't do that," Misty said with a somewhat breathless laugh in return, evidently having come to the same conclusion.

"My apologies, I couldn't resist," Sabrina said with another laugh. "By the way, Ash, that Haunter you left with me is still at the gym; it has been reluctant to leave, and its two friends have a tendency to come to play on occasion."

"Are all three of them doing all right?" Ash asked, pleased.

"They like to play tricks on my students," Sabrina said, amused. "So they are not the most well-liked of Pokémon at the gym. But they are happy to play around, and I enjoy letting them. Sometimes, Haunter will even let me battle with him."

"More than it ever did for me," Ash said sheepishly. "Haunter almost cost me that badge."

"And your freedom," Sabrina added blithely.

Ash made a face at the thought. He didn't really like to think about where he would be now if it hadn't been for Haunter showing up at the last second. Probably still in Sabrina's doll house with Brock and Misty…

Thankfully, Sabrina decided that she had teased them enough, and leaned forward to direct Gary to the café she wanted to take them to. Once they parked on the side of the road, they got another surprise in the form of the person sitting at one of the outside tables.

"Erika!" Ash called cheerfully, causing the gym leader to turn in surprise.

"Ash!" she said with a laugh as they all got out of the car. Pikachu leapt onto the table. "And Pikachu, of course." She smiled at Sabrina. "Was this who you had to pick up?"

"Naturally," Sabrina said with a nod, gracefully taking a seat. "It is why I asked you to save a table with at least five seats for us. Have you ordered for us?"

"Of course," Erika said, and grinned at the bemused teenagers. "Sabrina told me what to order for you, so it should be here soon. Take a seat!"

"It's a surprise to see you here, Erika," Misty admitted as they sat down at the table, Pikachu allowing Erika to pat him.

"Sabrina and I have become friends," Erika said, smiling fondly at the psychic gym leader. "We met while she was in Celadon City, shopping for perfume." She glanced at Gary. "Oh, I remember you; you were a challenger, weren't you?"

"A long time ago," Gary said, grinning. "Did you know Ash well?"

"He challenged me to a battle not long after you," Erika said, beaming at Ash. "And he saved my Gloom when the gym set on fire. That made it pretty hard to forget him."

"I'm going to say most people find it hard to forget him," Misty said dryly.

"So, why did you bring Ash and his friends here?" Erika asked Sabrina. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I foresaw Ash arriving in Saffron City," Sabrina said, as though she was commenting on the weather. "I have some information that I need to hand to him, so I stopped him before he could make his phone call."

"What sort of information?" Ash asked, tilting his head curiously.

"To be exact, _I_ am not the one who has the information you seek," Sabrina said, fishing a Pokéball out of her pocket. "Rather, it is Alakazam who wishes to speak to you."

She tossed the red and white ball, allowing her Pokémon to appear in a flash of light. Ash grinned; he remembered her Kadabra, and it had been incredibly strong back then. Now that it had evolved, it was likely even stronger. 

"Hello, Alakazam," he said. "Remember me?"

"Kazam," the Pokémon intoned slowly, lifting its hands.

"You will feel a small jolt," Sabrina said suddenly, and Ash blinked at her. "Please don't fight it."

"What…?" Ash managed to get out before Alakazam's spoons started to glow and the world exploded in light.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Six;_ They have a direction now, even if it wasn't the way they thought they'd be going, but, of course, the unexpected still manages to happen around Ash.

 **Thanks to;**

Cutesaralisa, bankerrtx01, Capricon Aquarius FOZ, icey5mat and tinalabombe. Your reviews got me excited as I was replying to them, so I put this chapter out extra early. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Sorry for the late update, a lot of things in life has been getting in the way of writing lately, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. Hope you enjoy it!

 **Chapter Six;**

Images and colours zipped passed him, too fast to see. For a moment, Ash flailed, panicking because he didn't know what was going on, but then he remembered Sabrina's words. Alakazam wanted to tell him something, she had said. It must be doing something with its psychic power since it couldn't tell him what it wanted to in words. Slowly, his heartbeat slowed so it wasn't thumping so loudly.

As he calmed, so did the maelstrom of colours whirling around him. Before he knew it, Ash found himself able to pick out brief images, of himself and his friends, before they sped off again. And then, suddenly, a large image hit him.

" _Mana, mana!"_ _a cheerful blue Pokémon cried, dancing around before swimming eagerly toward him._

' _Manaphy,'_ he realised, the image disappearing. _'That's Manaphy. Does that mean… Manaphy is still free?'_

He felt more than heard the affirmation of his thought, and something in him relaxed in relief. He was going to get to Manaphy before the small Pokémon was caught. He wasn't sure he would have been able to face May had he not managed that.

Another image came to him.

 _With loud cries, two Pokémon left their islands, Articuno fleeing the shadows engulfing the island while Moltres took the shadows with him. Meanwhile Zapdos roosted on his own island, dark eyes intent as it waited for the moment it could go after the Chosen One…_

Ash gasped, eyes widening.

"Zapdos is going to come for me," he breathed aloud, and Alakazam agreed.

Moltres and Zapdos, then, had been taken by the shadows, while Articuno was still fleeing them, heading west. _"Hoenn,"_ a small voice whispered in his mind. _"Articuno is looking for sanctuary in Hoenn."_ He was so surprised at the idea that he almost missed the next image that came up.

 _Slowly, Mew looked back the Tree of Beginning, closing its eyes briefly. But it was okay, the Tree would be fine for now. With a nod of confirmation to itself, it disappeared from view, heading for areas unknown._

The relief that shot through Ash was stark and surprising. Mew was no longer at the Tree of Beginning, and it was still free as well. He didn't know where Mew had gone, but he knew, without a doubt, that he would run into the Pokémon eventually… for better or worse.

Then, suddenly, an image of Ho-oh formed in his mind. It was unlike all the other images, because it did not show him Ho-oh as it was either taken by the shadows or fleeing. Instead, he remembered Ho-oh as he last saw it, flying overhead, and then the image slowly faded until it was gone. He understood instantly, helped by the psychic power that was currently engulfing his mind; Ho-oh had completely disappeared, and not even Alakazam's enormous psychic power could find it.

" _Danger is approaching,"_ the voice whispered again. _"Go to Fuchsia City first, then to Vermillion. An old friend will find you on that path."_

Abruptly, the psychic link was severed, and Ash jolted back to reality, the soft murmur of his friends surrounding him. For a moment he sat where he was, and then he blinked down at the slice of chocolate cake and the glass of juice that was sitting in front of him; at some point their order had arrived.

"Ah, Ash, you're back with us," Sabrina said calmly, directing attention toward him. "Your friends were most concerned when you stopped replying. Did you learn much from Alakazam?"

"Uh… yeah," Ash said, disorientated; it was somehow harder to adjust back to the real world after being besieged by psychic power. How long had he been out?

"Are you alright, Ash?" Misty asked in concern.

"Give him a moment," Sabrina advised. "He simply needs to absorb the information he has been given and allow the last of the psychic power to leave his mind."

That was easy for her to say; she _lived_ with her psychic power, so she never had to feel the effects of it leaving so suddenly. Across the table, Alakazam yawned, and Sabrina returned it to its Pokéball so it could rest.

"Drink some juice, Ash," Erika said sympathetically. "It might make you feel a little better."

Almost mechanically, Ash reached out and grasped the glass of juice. The chilled glass centred him somewhat, and he found himself relaxing as he lifted it and drank some of it, suddenly realising how thirsty he was. Before he had realised it, he had drained it all.

"Better?" Gary asked.

"Yeah," Ash admitted, shaking his head to rid himself of the last vestiges of psychic power. "Your Alakazam is really powerful, Sabrina." He paused. "And it told me a lot."

"I am glad," Sabrina said, holding her hand up when he opened his mouth to say more. "Save your conversation until a time when you are on the road once more; I imagine there are things you would like to keep to yourself."

Ash hesitated, somehow feeling like he owed Sabrina, at least, some answers, but then he nodded, conceding the point. Right now, it wasn't necessary to get anyone else involved.

"Thanks," he offered quietly.

"Eat your cake, Ash," Erika said cheerfully with an understanding smile. "I got the same type. By the way, this is on me; I never really paid you back for saving my Gloom."

"I think the badge was enough," Ash said with a surprised laugh, picking up his fork.

"Nothing can _ever_ be enough," Erika retorted, grinning.

"This is a story worth hearing," Gary said, leaning forward. "How did Ash end up saving your Gloom?"

"It was Team Rocket's fault, as usual," Misty said, waving a dismissive hand. "They got inside and set the gym on fire accidentally. When we realised Gloom was still in there, Ash ran back inside and rescued it."

"How did Team Rocket get in?" Gary asked, confused. "If I remember, Celadon Gym was pretty particular about who they let in, and Team Rocket aren't the best at subterfuge."

Suddenly remembering exactly _how_ the terrible trio had managed to get into the gym, Ash paled. He had managed to put _that_ particular experience at the back of his mind, and thus hadn't expected it to be brought up like this. Slowly Erika and Misty turned to him, and he gulped at the identically evil grins the two were sporting.

" _Ashley_ let them in accidentally," Misty said, grin widening when Ash winced.

"Ashley?" Gary asked, blinking. "Who's Ashley?"

"Someone stupid," Ash said, glaring at Misty and Erika and almost daring them to say anything else.

Thankfully, they just gave him innocent smiles, mischief in their eyes, and dropped the subject, much to Gary's confusion. Sabrina hid a secret smile behind her cup.

"So, where are you off to now?" Erika asked after a moment.

"Vermillion City," Gary said.

"Fuchsia City," Ash said at the same time.

Slowly, Gary and Misty turned to face him, puzzled looks on their faces. After all, as far as they knew, Fuchsia City hadn't even been on the list of possible places to go.

"Fuchsia City?" Misty repeated. "Why do we need to go that way?"

"Alakazam told me that we had to," Ash said, remembering the whispering voice in his mind. "So we can meet an old friend that will help us."

He wasn't sure what old friend Alakazam was talking about; perhaps it was another legendary, or maybe it was one of the friends that were now travelling on their own journeys. Either way, Ash didn't doubt that that was the way to go, and he was glad when his two companions nodded, resigned to accepting the different turn of their journey. Smiling slightly, he speared a forkful of chocolate cake and ate it; Erika had been right in saying how good it was.

"It would be best for you to be on your way soon, then," Sabrina said and, not for the first time, Ash wondered how much she actually knew. "I doubt you will miss the meeting Alakazam spoke of, but you never know how the fates can intervene."

Quickly Ash finished off his cake and put his fork down. When _Sabrina_ said something like that, he knew that it was best to get moving.

"Thank you," he said sincerely to the two women, and he knew that they were aware that he was thanking them for more than just the cake. The knowledge and the company they had given them were both of equal importance.

"It was good to see you all again," Erika said with a smile.

"I am glad to see that the two of you are doing well," Sabrina added to Ash and Misty before turning to Gary. "And I am happy to have met you, as well, Gary."

"It was great to stop for a bit," Gary said with a grin. "We've kind of been on the go since yesterday." He stood and checked his watch. "If we leave now, we'll have to stop for the night somewhere on route, and then we'll get to Fuchsia City around lunch time tomorrow."

"Sounds great," Misty said, making a face as she also stood. "Walking might be slower, but at least we aren't trapped in a car for hours on end."

"Good luck to all of you on your travels," Sabrina said as they moved to leave. She smiled slightly. "I will keep an eye on the news for news of you."

"I doubt we'll be on the news," Gary said with a laugh.

"No, but your deeds will be," Sabrina said quietly. "Be safe, all of you."

"We're here if you need us," Erika added.

Ash's heart swelled at the reminder of how many people would help them if they only asked, and he beamed at the two of them. It was almost difficult to leave the warmth of the friendship that they were exuding, especially since they didn't really know what was going to happen in the future.

Still, he managed to tear himself away with only a smile and a wave of farewell, practiced, now, at the goodbyes that he wished he hadn't become accustomed to, and he turned around so that he didn't have to see them as they left. It was almost startling to realise that he was so unsure about what would happen next that he had found himself latching onto the first friendly face they saw.

It wasn't until they were settled back in the car that Uxie shimmered back into being, having turned herself invisible when Sabrina joined them. She settled down beside Ash, leaving Pikachu to jump onto his lap.

" _It seems that you got some information from Alakazam,"_ she noted. _"He was one of the more powerful psychic users that I have ever met, likely due to his training under a psychic human."_

"He gave me a lot," Ash agreed, and Misty turned around, having claimed the front seat this time; Ash did not mind letting her, if he was honest, especially if they were going to demand more stories.

"Well, let's start with why we need to go to Fuchsia City," Gary said, starting the car. "Do you know who this old friend of yours is?"

"No, Alakazam didn't tell me," Ash said apologetically as they pulled away from the curb and joined the traffic. "He just said that we needed to go that way."

"We might meet another legendary Pokémon," Misty pointed out. "Maybe one of them is looking for Ash and got lost."

"A legendary Pokémon getting lost?" Gary asked, raising his eyebrow.

"A lot of them wouldn't know Kanto that well," Misty pointed out, rolling her eyes in response. "It's possible." She turned to look at Ash again. "What else did Alakazam say?"

"Mew isn't at the Tree of Beginning, so we don't need to go that way," Ash announced in relief. "It disappeared before the shadow even caught up with it, leaving the Tree behind."

"Pika," Pikachu sighed, obviously glad as well.

"That's that, then," Gary said with a nod. "We'll find a way to Johto from the Orange Islands then."

"Also, Manaphy is still fine, so we should get to Samiya in time, since even the shadow might find it difficult to get there," Ash continued. "Is there an eclipse any time soon?"

"Not that I know of," Misty said with a frown. "Do we definitely need an eclipse to find Samiya?"

" _Normally, yes,"_ Uxie said before Ash could answer. _"However, Manaphy is waiting for you all to come for him and, as one who once bore the Sea Crown, the Chosen One will be able to find Samiya, no matter where it is."_

" _You_ wore the sea crown?" Misty asked Ash incredulously.

"No so much _wore_ it," Ash said, remembering the frantic race to put the jewels back. "I'll tell you about it later. Alakazam told me more."

"Like what?" Gary asked.

"He told me about Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos," Ash said, grimacing. "Of the three of them, only Articuno managed to escape, and it is looking for a place to stay in Hoenn. Moltres left the islands as well, but I don't know where it went. And Zapdos… is preparing to come find me."

" _Zapdos always was more confrontational than his brother and sister,"_ Uxie mused.

"Alright so, right now, we only know where Zapdos and Manaphy are, and we may or may not meet another legendary Pokémon somewhere between Fuchsia City and Vermillion City," Gary said with a sigh. "Anything _else_?"

"Just one thing," Ash said, pressing his lips together as he remembered the last piece of information Alakazam gave him. "Ho-Oh has disappeared… completely."

"What do you mean by that?" Misty asked, startled.

" _It means that Ho-Oh has disappeared so completely that even a powerful psychic Pokémon cannot track her down,"_ Uxie said gravely. _"This concerns me greatly."_

That… was not what Ash had hoped to hear. He had sort of thought that maybe Uxie would be able to look for Ho-Oh with _her_ power after hearing that Alakazam couldn't find her. A little unnerved, he rested his hand on Pikachu's back, and the small electric type nuzzled his wrist comfortingly.

"One thing at a time," Gary said determinedly after a moment. "We'll find Ho-Oh when we find her. For now, let's focus on getting to Fuchsia City." He sighed. "A three hour journey to Vermillion City just turned into a three _day_ journey…"

"At least we know definitely where we need to go this time," Misty said, shrugging. "That's more than we knew before. We'll be stuck once we get to Johto again, so we should appreciate this while it lasts."

"Yes, we know where to go," Gary grumbled. "But we don't know why, how long it's going to take, or what's going to happen along the way." He shot a glance at the mirror, his eyes narrowed. "I don't remember being this uncertain about my journey even when I was a trainer."

"Traveling with Ash is always an exercise in facing the unknown," Misty said, deadpan.

Ash briefly wondered whether he should be offended by that or not. He had to concede after a moment, though; his travels never usually went the way he wanted them to, and it was impossible to ever predict what would happen on a day-to-day basis. Gary, who had driven from city to city and only stopped for events that grabbed his attention or to catch Pokémon, would be mostly unused to the idea of things changing suddenly at the last minute.

"Right," Gary said, making a face. "We'll just have to go where we have to, I guess. In the meantime… it's going to be a long journey, so there's plenty of time for more stories, Ashy-boy."

Ash scowled. Gary's temper was starting to flare at being so out of his depth, but he was at least making a small effort to rein it in, irritating nicknames notwithstanding. Not that it was going to help much in the long run; none of them were particularly known for their patience, and being forced into close quarters on a stressful journey wasn't going to help much.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Just don't crash us because you weren't expecting to hear something."

"You've told me about a Lugia that wanted you to help save the world, an Entei that ended up being from the imagination of a little girl and a Celebi almost destroyed the forest it lived in because of a weird Pokéball, not to mention seeing Ho-Oh on you first day," Gary said wryly. "You've also hinted about a future story with Mew in it, as well as one involving Manaphy and Samiya. I don't think there's much that could surprise me at this point."

"You'd be surprised," Misty said with an almost pitying expression. "We'd best tell you about Latias and Latios then… after that, it's all on Ash."

"Latios and Latias…" Gary said quietly, taking in a deep breath. "Almost expected at this point… alright, tell me what happened."

Misty and Ash shared a quick glance. This one had been one of the sadder adventures Ash had ever had, right up there with Mew and the Tree of Beginning. Still, it was fun to retell these stories, especially since they had ever really needed or wanted to before.

"Have you ever heard of Alto Mare?" Ash asked. "There's a legend there about a crystal called the Soul Dew…"

POKEMONPOKEMON

In retrospect, Ash realised that it hadn't been the best idea to bring up first Jirachi and then Deoxys after he finished with Alto Mare's story. Gary, who had managed to rein in most of his surprise and feel saddened at Latios' sacrifice, had not been expecting to hear about two more supposedly mythical Pokémon.

"Jirachi… is said to only been seen every one thousand years!" he'd yelped when Ash finally told him who was in the rock that Butler had found. "Most people say that it doesn't exist!"

"I'm sort of with Gary on this one, Ash," Misty had said, swivelling around in her seat. "This one is off the charts, even for you."

Thankfully, the shock of Jirachi was so great that Gary just sort of slumped as much as he was able to in his seat upon hearing about the two Deoxys and the Rayquaza in LaRousse City, shaking his head every now and then. By the time Ash finished telling them about the city's shut-down they had arrived in a small town on the way to Fuchsia City, pulling up in front of the local Pokémon Centre.

"Your journey was _insane_ ," Gary said with feeling. "What unlucky star were you born under, Ash? There's no way that being this attracted to strange and dangerous situations involving legendary Pokémon is normal."

"I never said it was," Ash huffed. "It's not my fault. We're just… in the right place at the right time."

"Or the wrong place at the wrong time," Gary said with a grimace.

"I'm almost jealous," Misty said with a sigh. "I could have gone on those adventures if I hadn't had to go back to the gym."

"Then you're just as insane as he is," Gary said, deadpan. "Or the two of you have just developed a filter that helps you pretend that this sort of thing is not unusual to protect your sanity."

"That's probably about right," Misty quipped, though she didn't say what option she was agreeing with.

"Alright, tell me straight up," Gary said, twisting around in his seat to spear Ash with an intent gaze. "Is there _anything_ more surprising than Jirachi?"

Ash thought about this for a moment. "Yeah… probably Arceus. But that's not for a while."

"Pikapi," Pikachu said dryly.

"Someone give me strength," Gary groaned, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "Did you seriously say that like the possibility of meeting Arceus was normal?"

Ash had opened his mouth to retort, having the feeling that he was being mocked somehow, when a loud crash followed by shouts suddenly rang out from the Pokémon centre. Years of being on the go almost non-stop ignited his knee-jerk reaction, and he was leaping out of the car almost before his companions could blink and register the sound, Uxie shimmering swiftly out of sight even as she continued to clutch at his hat.

"Let's go, Pikachu!" he said almost needlessly; Pikachu had already leapt onto his shoulder, ready for anything.

"Hey, wait for us!" Gary said, scrambling to take his key out of the ignition and get out of the car.

But Ash was already gone, and Misty just shook her head in fond amusement as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"I almost forgot how quickly I used to react to things like this," she mused. "Once upon a time I would have been right on his heels."

"Knowing his luck, it'll be another legendary," Gary grumbled, finally pulling his key out and leaping over the door. "We'd better get in there."

It wasn't hard to figure out where Ash had gone. All they had to do was rush for the room that everyone was running away from. As they got closer, they could see that a few trainers had stayed, but, oddly, none of them had released their Pokémon yet.

That was a good thing, Gary decided. If there was a mad legendary in the Pokémon centre attacking everyone and everything on sight, then every trainer there would have released all the Pokémon they had on them.

It took a moment to push through the crowd, which had gathered around the door to the cafeteria. Since Ash wasn't among them, it was a fair bet to say that he was probably _in_ the cafeteria, facing whatever the problem was. Finally, Gary pushed his way to the front so that he could see inside, Misty only a step beside them. Misty took one look at the problem and let out a noise that sounded oddly like a whimper.

"What the hell, Ash?" he burst out upon seeing what was actually going on.

"A little help would be nice, Gary!" Ash said tersely from where he had managed to be backed into the corner. "Pikachu, keep shocking it!"

"Pika…CHUU!" Pikachu cried, letting out a powerful bolt of electricity.

It arced through the air, leaving Gary momentarily impressed, once more, at how powerful the little Pokémon was, and hit the slightly-larger-than-normal Beedrill that was buzzing angrily and herding both Ash and Pikachu into the corner. Gary fully expected it to go down, but all it did was waver a little before moving forward again, its stinger glowing ominously purple.

"What's going on?" Misty yelped, and Gary decided to think about the high note of fear in her voice later. "Why didn't that work?"

"That Beedrill came from nowhere," a trainer standing next to her said grimly. "It's poisoned all our Pokémon so far, and nothing we do will work."

Right, a powerful Beedrill that wouldn't back down. _Of course_ this would be something Ash Ketchum would stumble across. With a sigh, noticing that the Beedrill was focusing fully on his friend, Gary took a Pokéball from his belt.

"Element of surprise it is," he said, throwing the ball. "Arcanine, flamethrower!"

Beedrill barely had a moment to turn around before the massive Pokémon was appearing in the room and launching a fierce fire attack. Gary didn't give it even a second to recover. Mindful of the fact that it would be difficult to herd the angry Pokémon out of the centre, he threw an empty Pokémon at it, sucking it inside.

Perhaps it was the shock of being caught suddenly. The ball rocked three times as everyone watched it, and then the button lit up, indicating that the Pokémon was caught.

For a moment everyone just stared at the stationary Pokéball. It was an oddly anti-climactic ending considering what Gary had just walked in on and how much damage the Pokémon had apparently done. Nurse Joy was the first to rouse herself, and she clapped her hands, turning to look at the trainers.

"Everyone with poisoned Pokémon, come straight to the front desk and leave them with me," she announced. "I'll make them a priority over all except the extremely sick Pokémon here. Please follow me." She turned and glared pointedly at Ash. "Including you, young man. Don't think I didn't see that Beedrill sting you."

Ash, who Gary had just noticed was holding his right arm oddly, smiled sheepishly. Wisely, he didn't protest that he was fine, though Gary had the feeling that his friend might have done so if Nurse Joy wasn't looking at him like that. He made a face at Gary on his way past, though, indicating his annoyance at being force to have treatment.

Shaking his head, he turned to speak to Misty but found, to his surprise, that she was gone. Glancing around, he realised that she had made her way toward the counter with the other trainers for some reason, though he wasn't sure why she had darted away so quickly.

With nothing else left to do, Gary turned his gaze onto the Pokéball still sitting on the floor and sighed as he moved toward it. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do with a reticent Beedrill, but it was his responsibility now. Grimacing, he leaned down to pick it up, feeling the ball tremble slightly in his hand as he did so.

One thing was for sure; the presence of this particular Pokémon was not going to make this journey any easier.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Seven;_ With a new Pokémon along for the journey, the gang takes a moment to reflect on where they need to go next and what their future plans are.

 **Thanks to;**

Cutesaralisa, bankerrtx01, Little White Comet, deant33, fanficfan 86 and tinalabombe. Thanks for your reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Another chapter, in which we finally see the Pokémon that all three of them brought with them. It was a tough decision, definitely. Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this one too!

 **Chapter Seven;**

Ash might have advised Misty not to flinch when Gary suggested letting all their Pokémon out by the lake and having a picnic dinner, but she had already done it by the time he thought to say anything. It was enough to give Gary, who had heard her whimper when she spotted the Beedrill and noticed the disappearing act she had pulled directly after its capture, the ammunition he needed to put the pieces together.

"Really?" he asked incredulously, and Ash and Pikachu swiftly busied themselves with setting the up picnic table they had found in the back of the car while Uxie floated over to the lake. "Is it just Beedrill you're afraid of or bug Pokémon in general?"

"Bug Pokémon, if you must know," Misty said stiffly with the air of one wishing she could lie but knowing that it would come out eventually. "Most of them."

Gary let out a snort of laughter. "Do you know how ridiculous that is, Red?"

"What's it to you?" Misty asked, flaring up. "You're not the one who has to deal with it! Just keep that thing away from me!"

For a moment it looked like Gary might say something else to keep the argument going. He was certainly looking entertained enough to do so. The reminder of the Pokémon that he had caught barely an hour ago, however, made him pause.

"I'm not letting him out around the other Pokémon," he finally said. "I'll let Beedrill out after dinner. Chances are that I'll have to release him outside the town somewhere so that it has a harder time returning."

"I wish we could find out why Beedrill attacked the Pokémon centre like that," Ash said musingly, looking up from the way he was compulsively straightening the plates, glad his friends weren't going to come to blows.

"We'll find out somehow," Gary said. He took out five Pokéballs. "In the meantime, we can let the others out. They haven't had much chance to stretch out since we started." He threw the balls into the air. "Come out, everyone!"

The five Pokémon materialised, shaking themselves as they were freed from the confines of their Pokéballs. Arcanine, who had been let out earlier, yawned widely and padded toward the tree to curl up in the shade. Nidoqueen paused for a second before following him. Blastoise, on the other hand, went straight for the water, splashing down into the depths within moments. Umbreon leapt onto the table for a moment, looking around at the site, before leaping into the hanging branches of the tree above her. Electivire, meanwhile, was quite content to plop himself down beside the table.

"It's good that there's a lot of water here," Misty said, stepping toward the lake with her Pokéballs.

Gyarados roared as he appeared in the water, momentarily detracting attention from the rest of the Pokémon. That gave time for Corsola and Politoed to also disappear under the water, happy to be in such a large body of water. Marill cheerfully splashed in the water for a moment before cheerfully bounding to the shore toward Misty. The real surprise, however, was Misty's last Pokémon.

"When did you get a Milotic, Misty?" Ash asked with wide eyes, looking at the beautiful water Pokémon as she gracefully snaked toward the tree's shade that was stretching out over the water.

"I got a Feebas not long after I left you while you were doing the Battle Frontier," Misty said smugly. "It took a long time to evolve her, but she's worked hard to get to where she is." She glanced at Ash. "Aren't you going to let out your Pokémon?"

"Oh, right!" Ash said, quickly unclipping his Pokéballs. "Come on out!"

Charizard had barely appeared on the ground before he took to the skies, looking for a chance to stretch his wings, blowing wind in everyone's faces as he took off. Snorlax, however, fell right down where it stood and started to snore, making Ash roll his eyes. He had no doubt that the large Pokémon would be up as soon as food was served, and he was glad that he had gotten the recipe for May's special Pokéblock off his friend some time ago.

He half expected that Unfezant would also want to stretch her wings, but instead she flew up to a branch that was mostly obscured by leaves. Sceptile joined Arcanine and Nidoqueen, settling down beside the large ground type. And Totodile… Ash laughed as the small blue Pokémon danced excitedly for a moment before leaping into the water, still the most energetic of all his Pokémon.

Deciding which Pokémon to take with him to start with had been incredibly difficult, since many of his friends were more than qualified to be there. As it was, he had made the decision to bring a wide variety of types in the hopes that they could take on any challenge they were faced with.

"This is a nice place," Misty said, stretching her arms over her head. "We used to picnic like this all the time, right, Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash said with a grin. He glanced up when he felt a small weight settle on his head, indicating that Uxie had returned to her perch. "Everything alright, Uxie?"

" _Yes,"_ the small Pokémon said. _"I am missing my home right now, however. It has been a long time since I have been away from my lake for any great periods of time."_

"If you want to go back for a little while, we'd understand," Ash offered.

" _No, our place is with you right now,"_ Uxie said. _"No doubt Suicune and Giratina feel the same."_

Ash opened his mouth to say that the two legendary Pokémon were doing their own thing for now rather than following him, and then he heard a large splash from the lake. Blinking, he turned around in time to see Giratina rising from the water, his form shifting as he curled up on the shore, looking for all the world like he belonged there, among the trainers and Pokémon. Glancing back at the lake, he saw Suicune stepping out onto it gracefully, her back stretching.

" _They have been following you,"_ Uxie said before Ash could ask. _"Keeping up with a car is light exercise for Suicune, and Giratina is watching your progress through the Reverse World."_

"Right…" Uxie had mentioned something like that before, hadn't she? Slowly, he turned to Gary and Misty, who were also staring at the two legendary Pokémon. "Guys, we've got enough Pokémon food, right?"

"We've got enough," Gary said with a sigh. "I get the feeling that we'll be going through it quite quickly, though."

" _Most of us can find our own food,"_ Uxie pointed out. _"It is company that we are currently seeking… being by the Chosen One's side gives us some measure of peace."_

"As long as you're all careful," Misty said, glancing around. "There's no telling what will happen if someone sees any of you out here."

" _We have spent many years hiding ourselves from humans,"_ Uxie said, amused. _"We will not be so careless now."_

Misty flushed slightly at the gentle rebuke and nodded.

Despite the unexpected arrival of the Legendary Pokémon, it didn't take long for everyone to settle and pretend that it was normal. The water Pokémon, in particular, seemed to find particular delight in seeing how close they could swim to Suicune, who was relaxing in the water, before she noticed, though Ash had the sneaking suspicion that, occasionally, she was allowing them to get a little closer on purpose. Giratina, on the other, appeared to be happy to join some of the other Pokémon under the tree, stretching out in the shade.

Dinner was a similarly relaxed affair. In the rush of Pokémon stampeding to the table upon Gary's call, Ash almost forgot about the presence of the Legendary Pokémon until he saw the three of them happily munching on some apples from a nearby tree. They had provided for themselves for such a long time that they neither needed nor wanted the food that the humans could provide when there were other things to eat around them.

It was almost surreal, really, to be sitting and eating dinner while, barely a foot away, three Legendary Pokémon relaxed. Yes, Ash had dealt with Legendary Pokémon before, but they were usually so on the go that he never really got a moment to think about it until it was all over. He was suddenly glad that they had found such a secluded spot; he had the feeling others wouldn't take the presence of three very rare Pokémon quite as well.

"Do we want to head back on the road for a little while or find somewhere to stay?" Gary asked after dinner, stretching his arms over his head.

"We could probably drive for a little longer," Misty said musingly, looking up at the sky. "The sun is only just starting to go down, so we have a little light left. If that's alright with you, Gary," she added.

"I don't mind driving a little longer," Gary said with a small laugh. "I'm happy to cover as much distance as I can so that we can be at Vermillion City soon. At that rate we're going, if we drive most of tomorrow, we'll be in Vermillion City by tomorrow night."

"So we should meet this friend Alakazam told us about soon," Ash said.

"Hopefully," Misty said with a sigh. "I was hoping that we'd have met them by now."

"Well, if it _is_ another Legendary Pokémon that we're looking to run into, then they'll be searching for us, as well," Gary pointed out. "We should meet up eventually."

He didn't say it, but it was in all their minds anyway; when they met up with another Legendary Pokémon, there was a very good chance that it would attack them on sight.

There was no sense in focusing on that right now, though, and they changed the subject to inane chatter as they began to clean up and prepare to leave. It was when Misty headed to the lake to wash up some of the dishes, however, leaving the boys to put everything else away in the boot of Gary's car, that Ash decided to bring up another pressing issue.

"So… Beedrill?" he ventured.

Gary immediately made a face. He hadn't released Beedrill since he had caught it that morning. It was at the point, however, where he really had no choice; they needed to decide what to do with the angry Pokémon and, if nothing else, Beedrill needed to eat as well.

"Yeah, I suppose now is as good a time as any," he said a little gloomily, not really looking forward to this as he reached for the Pokéball on his belt.

"Hang on," Ash said, turning away. "Hey, Misty!"

"Yeah?" the red-head called back, turning away from her task.

"You might want to stay over there!" Ash said. "We're releasing Beedrill!"

"Gladly!"

Ash grinned at her reply and turned back to the stunned Gary. "Alright, go for it."

"So _I_ say something about her fears and she bites my head off, but when _you_ say something, she just agrees with you?" Gary grumbled.

"I'm _allowed_ to say something," Ash laughed. "She's used to me teasing her by now."

"That makes a weird amount of sense, somehow," Gary said dryly. He shook his head. "Well, here goes."

He tossed the ball into the air and released Beedrill. The next few moments happened so quickly that no one could even _think_ about reacting. Beedrill materialised and set its eyes on Ash, the last one it remembered seeing before the Pokéball had captured it. In a flash it was flying right at the trainer, stinger glowing ominously purple. Ash barely had time to blink before he was being struck and he crashed to the ground.

His Pokémon instantly reacted. Charizard roared his fury as he took to the sky, drowning out the angered cries of the other Pokémon that were instantly alert. Above even him, however, was Pikachu's wrathful cry as he leapt at Beedrill with dangerously sparking cheeks and a ferocity that most present had rarely seen. With a powerful flash of lightning, Beedrill was down for the count, twitching on the ground.

Gary blinked as all this happened and, within moments, found himself standing beside the barely conscious Beedrill while Ash, a worryingly purple hue to his complexion, groaned nearby and Pikachu seethed as he landed on the ground, obviously not quite done meting out justice. Then the small Pokémon set angry eyes on Gary.

"Pika!" he exclaimed. "Pi pika Pikachu!"

Gary didn't understand Pikachu even nearly as well as Ash could, but he had the feeling that Pikachu was telling him to hurry up and help his trainer. Jolting out of his shock, only vaguely aware of Misty rushing over, fear of bug type Pokémon be damned, he dove for his back and rifled around in it for a moment before he triumphantly pulled out a bottle of yellow liquid.

"What's that?" Misty asked warily; she had dropped down beside Ash and was now propping the semi-conscious trainer up.

"Poison antidote," Gary informed her. "A very potent one. Some of the researchers in Sinnoh taught me how to make it, and I never go anywhere without a few on me. Hold him up for me."

It took a moment to persuade Ash, who wasn't really aware of his surroundings right now, to drink the antidote, but eventually they managed to get it in him. As it slid down his throat, however, Ash shot bolt upright and Gary, anticipating this reaction, easily dodged as he started to cough and gag, turning slightly green as he did so.

"What's _in_ that?" Misty asked, wrinkling her nose.

"You don't want to know," Gary said with a grin.

Misty turned vaguely green herself as she considered this and Ash sat up, having thankfully managed to keep the antidote down.

"That… was disgusting," he groaned. "Remind me not to get poisoned again."

"At least it worked," Gary said, standing. "Don't be such a baby. Now…" He turned to look at Beedrill. It was still on the ground, Pikachu guarding it. "What do we do?"

"Maybe we can find out why it's so angry?" Ash suggested.

" _He was abandoned."_

Gary jumped at the sudden sound of Uxie's voice. Without their notice, Uxie had made her way over to the ground and now she landed on Ash's head. Glancing around, Gary noticed that Suicune and Giratina were both nearby, watching the proceedings closely. Likely they had all moved when Ash was attacked, though they hadn't really reacted otherwise.

"Abandoned?" Ash asked, bringing Gary's focus back on the conversation. There was an odd note in the other trainer's voice and Gary remembered, suddenly, that his grandfather had told him Ash had trained several abandoned Pokémon.

" _I can feel his pain,"_ Uxie said, a faint glow around the jewel on her head. _"He is angry; he is searching for the trainers that decided he was no longer strong enough for them. Once, before, he attempted to return to his home, the home he was torn from by those trainers, but he was rejected since he had been away for so long. His only option, now, is to search and defeat those trainers."_

The glow faded and she fell quiet. Gary felt quite cold as he processed what she had just said. Abandoned because he wasn't strong enough? Cast out from his home? No wonder Beedrill was so angry. Even Misty looked sympathetic, though she did so from behind Ash.

(He wondered whether he should tell her that being near the trainer wasn't a particularly safe thing right now, and then decided against it.)

Still, he wasn't sure what to do now. Gary had never really had to deal with a situation like this. He didn't know how to talk to a Pokémon that was angry and hurt and maybe even scared. Could he even train Beedrill? For a moment, he wondered if he ought to leave this to Ash, who was surely better at this side of it than he was…

And then he stopped, somewhat ashamed of himself. Before he was a researcher, he had been a Pokémon trainer, and he prided himself on his ability to use his skills as a trainer through his research. And one of the things that a trainer _had_ to be able to do was understand and help their own Pokémon.

Slowly, he crouched down. Beedrill was beginning to recover, but he could still do no more that raise his head and buzz angrily. Pikachu, despite the story he had just heard, still looked wary, and Gary found himself glad to have the small Pokémon standing nearby.

"Beedrill," he said, catching the Pokémon's attention. "You were wrong. You thought Ash caught you, right? Well, he didn't; I did."

That caught the bug Pokémon by surprise. He momentarily paused in his struggle to get up off the ground and stared at Gary. Not one to let an opportunity go to waste, Gary forged ahead.

"Uxie here told us why you were so angry," he continued. "I can kind of even understand why you attacked the Pokémon Centre. You were looking for those trainers, right? So you could show them how powerful you were."

Beedrill buzzed sullenly. Gary drew in a deep breath.

"I only caught you so that you'd stop hurting everyone," he said, watching Beedrill intently. "But, the way I see it, you've got a choice, now."

 _That_ caught Beedrill's attention. He buzzed warily, but in clear question.

"Well, you can go on your way," Gary said with a shrug. "Keep testing yourself against trainers until you find the ones that hurt you. Maybe you'll beat them, maybe you won't. Or…" He grinned. "You can come with me. If you come with me, I'll train you and make sure you get stronger than ever. And if we don't run into those trainers on our travels, we'll search them out to challenge them. What do you say?"

Beedrill stared at him. Gary wondered what was going through his head. Was he wondering why Gary would make such an offer? Was he stunned that some random trainer was attempting to give him a place to belong when he had been wandering alone for so long? Then, inexplicably, Beedrill's head turned toward Ash.

Ash blinked and then he grinned, as though he understood.

"You should come, Beedrill," he urged. "Gary will make sure you get really strong!"

"What do you say?" Gary asked, holding out the Pokéball he had caught Beedrill with.

Beedrill stared at him for a moment, glancing at Ash one more, before he reached out tentatively with a stinger and tapped the Pokéball. Gary couldn't help but grin; somehow, he'd managed to catch a new, powerful Pokémon.

"Excellent," Gary said enthusiastically. "There's some left over Pokémon food, so eat that and then we'll be on the road again. I should get you a Paralyze Heal first, though…"

He rushed away. For a moment, those left behind stared after him before Misty groaned and shook her head.

"Another bug," she sighed quietly so that Beedrill didn't hear her. She glanced at the bug type, who was currently having a staring match with the still unimpressed Pikachu. She had a feeling that Ash's Pokémon weren't going to warm up to the new addition too quickly. "Hey, Ash? Why did Beedrill look at you before he decided to go with Gary?"

Ash blinked, confused. "He wanted to see if it was alright; he _did_ just attack me, right? I think he wanted to know what I'd say. Come on, let's go help Gary; Pikachu can keep an eye on things here."

Misty watched him run off and smiled slightly, running a hand through her hair. The enigma that was Ash Ketchum would really never change, would he?

She supposed that was alright. She didn't want him to change, anyway.

POKEMONPOKEMONPOKEMON

While it was clear that Misty very much disproved of the new addition to Gary's team, she had yet to actually vocalise her displeasure. She didn't like bug Pokémon and, normally, she would have no trouble voicing this, but Beedrill's story had been enough to make her do no more than grumble slightly.

As the boys continued packing up the picnic and returning their Pokémon, Misty watched as Giratina disappeared back into the lake and Suicune picked her way through the trees. She wondered, momentarily, what it would be like when more Legendary Pokémon had joined them. Gary had been amused, earlier, at thought of the rare Pokémon following Ash around like ducklings… but she was starting to realise that that thought was closer to the truth than it had seemed. To think that _three_ of them were already following them around…

Maybe it was because it had been a long time since she had travelled with Ash and dealt with all the craziness he brought with him. Or maybe it was because she had managed to get used to a calmer lifestyle at the gym (and wasn't it funny that being a gym leader was _easier_ than following a single trainer around?) Either way, Misty was having a hard time, sometimes, wrapping her head around the concept of the massive goal in front of them.

Save the Legendary Pokémon. It seemed easy enough in principle, right? But she had already watched Ash be pulled through into a world no one could follow him into, thrown on top of another Legendary Pokémon by the first, and almost be drowned in her own pool. If this was what the _beginning_ of the journey was like, then she almost didn't want to see what the rest of it would bring.

Noticing that Ash was talking to Gary, she claimed the back seat (Ash had left her in the front seat several times, now, so see how _he_ liked it), and propped her chin on her hand, tuning them out. Misty had chosen to come on this journey for good reason; Ash got in enough trouble when he _wasn't_ actively looking for it. There was no way that she could allow him to go on such a dangerous journey alone. And she still believed in this wholeheartedly.

But… would she and Gary be enough of a buffer for Ash against the world?

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

At the sound of a sudden voice right in front of her, Misty jerked upright, letting her hand fall into her lap. The subject of her thoughts had approached without her notice, and he was looking at her curiously, likely wondering what she was so deep in thought about.

"Nothing much," Misty said dismissively. "Just thinking about the gym; I hope my sisters are doing alright with it."

"They'll be fine," Ash said with a grin. Then he paused, hesitating for a moment before he said what was on his mind. "If… you want to go back to check on the gym, you know you can, right?"

Misty blinked at him and then laughed. She knew this startled and irritated him, especially since it was a genuine offer, but she couldn't help it. Ash Ketchum could be the most selfish person in the world sometimes. And then, sometimes, he could be the most selfless. It was no wonder she had never quite managed to pull herself away from him, even after so long apart.

"I know, Ash," she assured him when it looked like he might snap out of sheer embarrassment. "If I wanted to, I know I could go home right now." She raised her head and caught his eyes, needing him to understand how serious she was. "But I don't want to."

Ash stared at her for a moment and then gave a short nod before looking away. He jabbered something about needing to convince Unfezant down from the tree before hurrying off, causing Misty to grin at herself.

Yes, the journey ahead of them was going to be hard, and it would likely just get more difficult with every passing step. But, at the end of the day, she had a chosen her place, just as she had chosen it so long ago when she had spontaneously followed a hot-headed ten year old, and there was really nowhere else she'd rather be.

"Would you Slowpokes hurry up?" she called to the boys, amused. "We're losing daylight now!"

"Talking to Beedrill and getting him set up took longer than we thought," Gary said loftily, unimpressed that she was attempting to hurry him. "Don't worry, we'll leave in five minutes."

"We've just got the table to do," Ash said.

Contrary to Gary's promise, however, it wasn't for another twenty minutes that they left, mostly owing to the fact that the boys had to repack the boot when they realised they had forgotten to leave space for the table. By the time they left, Pikachu and Uxie had both joined Misty in sitting in the car, and the small Pokémon decided to remain where they were when Ash grudging climbed into the front seat.

"Anyone would think you two are _scared_ to sit in the front seat," Gary said teasingly as Ash pulled on his seatbelt.

"Stop almost crashing the car, and we'll be fine," Ash shot back.

"You have something against my driving, Ashy-boy?"

Misty rolled her eyes and tuned them out again. Honestly, the two of them argued worse than she and Ash ever did, and that was saying something.

"Sometimes, Pikachu, I don't know how you put up with him," she murmured to the Pokémon.

"Pika," Pikachu said with a grin.

Maybe her mental state wasn't as sound as she liked to think, but Misty found that she didn't mind the sound of Ash and Gary sniping at each other as they drove down the road. There was something almost familiar about it, though, for once, she wasn't involved. It added a sense of normality to an otherwise surreal journey, especially with Uxie sitting beside her and the knowledge of two other Legendary Pokémon following them.

"Face it, Ash, you only beat me once in the entire time we both trained Pokémon," Gary said goadingly.

Misty raised an eyebrow. When had they gotten onto _that_ subject? Slightly bemused, since she hadn't even noticed the subject change while she was caught up in her own thoughts, she watched as Ash opened his mouth angrily.

Whatever he was about to say, however, was lost when a shadow suddenly leapt onto the road in front of them.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Eight;_ Meeting up with an old friend may be just what the group needs to find their way.

 **Thanks to;**

Mists, Beasttamer99, KHLostEmpress, thor94, Yami-Chan and Unrealistic, Lynxgoddess, and tinalabombe. Thanks for your reviews!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Sorry, so much has been going on that it's been hard to keep up. I hope you all like this chapter and I'll try and get the next one out soon.

 **Chapter Eight;**

At least Gary had good reflexes, though that was poor consolation when it currently felt like the car was spinning out of control. As soon as he had noticed that _something_ had leapt in front of them, Gary had automatically jerked the wheel to the side, throwing his passengers violently to the side. Ash grabbed hold of the car door, struggling to keep himself upright, and thought about Pikachu and Uxie in the back seat. Though worried, he knew Misty would look after them, however, so he bent his head and waited until it was over.

As quickly as it started, it was done. The car careened to a halt, its nose mere millimetres away from the fence they had stopped in front of. For a moment, Ash stayed frozen where he was sitting, willing his rapidly beating heart to calm. It was almost funny that the last few seconds had been one of the scariest things he had ever experienced, especially considering a Legendary Pokémon tried to drown him yesterday.

"Ponyta!"

The sharp, alarmed cry made Ash lift his head just as an oddly familiar young woman jumped over the fence and raced over to the Ponyta that was standing in the middle of the road, quivering from head to foot at the near miss. It was clear what had happened; the young Ponyta had playfully leapt over the fence, curious about what was on the other side, and had been as startled by their appearance on the road as they had been by its.

"I'm so glad you're alright," the young woman breathed, running her hands soothingly through Ponyta's blazing mane. She turned to the car and bowed her head. "I'm so sorry. I hope you're all okay."

"Don't sweat it," Gary said, shaking his breath; he had calmed remarkably quickly after the scare. Ash wasn't sure he could manage speech just yet. "We're all fine, right, guys?"

"Y-Yeah," Misty said tremulously from the backseat, and Ash turned as she finally straightened from her hunched over position over the two small Pokémon.

"Pika…" Pikachu said, leaping onto Ash's shoulder.

"We'll be fine," Ash added, more for the woman's benefit than anything.

The young woman straightened and, in that moment, Ash was hit by a wave of recognition. His mouth dropped open as her eyes widened upon seeing him.

"Lara?" he exclaimed.

"Ash?" she asked at the same time. "And Misty?"

"It's really Lara!" Misty said delightedly, leaning forward, all trace of fear gone in an instant.

"Wow, it's been a long time," Lara said, bemused. "To think I'd meet the two of you out here after you almost ran over my Ponyta!" She laughed. "And at this time of all times, too!"

"You guys know each other?" Gary asked curiously.

"Ash here ran a race for me on my best Ponyta when I couldn't," Lara explained before Ash could. "He even won it and evolved Ponyta into Rapidash at the same time!"

"Really?" Gary asked, slightly taken-aback; he had been hearing so much about Ash's adventures with rare Pokémon, that it seemed that it hadn't occurred to him that Ash had slightly abnormal adventures with normal Pokémon as well.

"Hey, do you guys want to stop for a moment?" Lara asked, eyes lighting up. "I'd sure love for you to see how Rapidash is doing, Ash, and I reckon she'd like that too."

Ash immediately turned beseeching eyes on Gary. Yes, this was, for all intents and purposes, _his_ journey, but Gary was the driver. The researcher glanced at the sky, which was darkening rapidly, and sighed.

"Sure," he said resignedly.

"Getting somewhere on time is something you _don't_ get used to with Ash," Misty said to him in a low voice, amused.

Ash was too excited to be insulted by that. He vaulted out of the car with Pikachu as Gary took the keys out of the ignition. With the opportunity to see the Rapidash that he had rode to victory in front of him, how could he not go and see her?

"Lead the way, Lara!" he said, and she laughed before opening a gate for him.

With Misty and Gary right behind him, Ash followed Lara all the way across the fields, where more Ponyta and Rapidash were peacefully grazing. The Rapidash they were looking for, however, appeared to be in the stables, and Lara dragged the door open before gesturing them inside, a mischievous grin on her face.

And that was when Ash got his second surprise of the night when he saw a _very_ familiar figure look up at their entrance.

"Brock?!" he yelped.

"Ash?" Brock asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We ran into Lara on our way past, and she invited us inside," Gary said from behind Ash and Brock looked over the three of them, perhaps even more confused to see who Ash was in the company of. "She wanted Ash to see how a Rapidash was."

"Ah," Brock said, shaking his head. "I'm sure that's not the entire story, but that can wait for now." He stood and stretched his arms over his head. "Both Rapidash and the egg are doing well, Lara."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Lara said in relief.

"Egg?" Misty asked curiously.

"Rapidash had an egg just the other day," Lara said, beaming.

"Can we see it?" Ash asked eagerly.

"I think Rapidash would be more insulted if you didn't see her first," Lara said with a laugh. "Go on, Ash."

That was all the invitation Ash needed. He dash past the bemused Brock and entered the stall he was standing in front of. Right there was Rapidash, and she looked up as he entered before letting out a delighted whinny.

"Hi, Rapidash," Ash said with a grin, kneeling down beside her. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Lara told me you even have an egg now!"

Rapidash butted Ash's arm with her nose and, laughing, Ash obeyed the silent demand to be patted. He had only known this Pokémon for a day, at most, but winning a race together had ensured that neither of them would ever forget the other.

"I bet your baby is going to be as strong as you are," Ash said enthusiastically as he ran his hands through Rapidash's mane. "Right, Lara?"

"That baby is going to be a champion," Lara said, and Ash looked up at the oddly solemn note in her voice. "I think Rapidash is going to ensure it, now."

"A champion, huh?" Ash mused. "It can't be anything else!"

All of a sudden, Rapidash stood in one smooth, graceful movement. Surprised, Ash fell backward, and then was even more surprised when Rapidash grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him forward, almost dislodging Pikachu.

"Hey, what?" Ash yelped, remembering how Giratina had grabbed him in the same way.

Except Rapidash wasn't quite tall enough to sweep him off his feet, only managing to throw him a little awkwardly down near the corner. Blinking, Ash looked up and came face to face with a beautiful egg that looked like it was enclosed in a flame pattern.

"Oh, your egg?" Ash asked, grinning. "Did you want to show me your egg, Rapidash?"

He gingerly sat up (Rapidash hadn't been gentle) and looked at the egg. It always awed him to think of the tiny life growing inside a Pokémon egg. This egg was already several days old, so it could hatch soon.

"It's beautiful, Rapidash," he said reverently.

He made to turn away, but Rapidash nudged him back into place. Surprised, he looked up at her, barely aware of his silent friends at the entrance of the stall.

"Rapidash?" he asked, not sure what was going on.

"Pikapi," Pikachu murmured reverently on his shoulder, already understanding what was going on.

Rapidash stared at him intently for a moment before nudging him forward once more, toward the egg. And then, with a flash of understanding that seemed to come from nowhere, Ash knew what she was asking of him.

"…This is your baby, Rapidash," Ash said, blinking rapidly; he was so very honoured, but he just _couldn't…_ "Don't you want to see it hatch?"

In answer, Rapidash settled herself down beside the egg and laid her head on Ash's knee, clearly indicating her intent to have all three of them stay right where they were. She wanted to see her baby hatch from its egg… and then she wanted Ash to take the small Pokémon with him and train it to be as strong as it could be.

Ash could _feel_ all this. He didn't know how he could, but the waves of emotion that were coming at him were almost overwhelming. Rapidash's desire was so very clear to him, despite the fact that it had to have been a decision she had made in the split second after she saw him.

"Lara?" Ash asked weakly.

"I think Rapidash has made her choice, Ash," Lara said with a soft smile. "You're the one that she wants to raise her baby, not me. Personally, I think she's made a good choice. Will you take Ponyta with you when it hatches?"

Ash wanted to say no, for the first time ever. He was on a dangerous journey, after all, and Ponyta would only be young. He wouldn't have time to train a new Pokémon while on the road. But the way Lara was looking at him and the waves of pleading and reassurance coming from Rapidash stopped the word before it could even form.

"…Okay," he said finally. He rested his hand on Rapidash's head. "I'll take it."

Lara's expression lit up. In contrast, Ash could feel Rapidash's sadness, joy and thanks at his answer. He wondered why it was that he could feel this all of a sudden; were Rapidash's emotions so strong right now that his fledgling aura powers were picking up on them? Before, he had only felt emotions from the Legendary Pokémon, and he thought that it was because they were so powerful. But maybe he could feel any emotions if they were strong enough?

"Well, it looks like you're all staying the night," she said, and Gary groaned, muttering something that sounded like "why am I not surprised?" "Ash has his bed, so I'll make something up for the two of you."

"One of them can have my bed," Brock offered. "I want to stay here and monitor the egg's progress."

"Are you sure?" Lara asked, and Brock nodded. "Alright, then. Misty and… Gary, was it? I'll make some beds up for the two of you."

She dashed off before either could say something. As soon as she was gone, Gary sighed heavily and directed an annoyed gaze at Ash.

"Why does _nothing_ ever go to plan around you?" he demanded.

"That's just the way travelling with him is," Misty said with a shrug. "Getting lost, delays, sometimes taking the long way around… you better get used to it now."

"I don't want to," Gary said petulantly.

"Not to interrupt," Brock said with a raised eyebrow. "By why exactly are the three of you out here? Together? I thought that, by now, Ash would be off in a new region, at least. And, Misty, aren't you a gym leader? No to mention, last I heard, you, Gary, were doing research in Sinnoh." He shook his head. "You three are the _last_ people I expected to see together."

Blinking, Ash could actually see Brock's point. The three of them had long since separated on vastly different journeys and, had it not been for the fact that Gary and Misty had been at Pallet Town on the day both Uxie and Giratina attacked, they would never have come together as companions on a journey.

"It's… a long story," he said.

"We have time," Brock pointed out.

Ash hesitated for a moment and then conceded. Regardless of anything else, Brock had been with Ash longer than anyone else, and he deserved to know what trouble he was getting into right now. On top of that, Brock was giving him that _look_ that said he expected nothing to be left out.

(Ash was very familiar with that look. As soon as Brock had realised it was the fastest way to get Ash to cave in, he had used it quite gleefully over the years.)

"Well…" he said. "It kind of started when I got pulled through into the Reverse World…"

POKEMONPOKEMONPOKEMON

Brock had been through a lot in his short life. Admittedly, most of those things had happened while he was travelling with Ash, but he had thought that the life he had lived had more than prepared him for anything that the world would throw his way, whether he was with trouble-attracting trainers or not.

Sitting in the stable with Ash, Misty and Gary, however, and listening to the story they were telling him, Brock had to admit that he was never prepared for _anything_ that involved Ash.

"So let me get this straight," he said, deadpan. "The Legendary Pokémon want _you_ to go around the world and save them from this shadowy presence?"

"That's right," Ash said with a nod.

"And there's a very good chance that most of them will attack you on sight before you manage to save them?"

"We've already seen it," Gary assured him.

"And you're currently travelling on _this_ road rather than going straight to Vermillion City because Sabrina's Alakazam told you that you'd meet a friend that would be necessary to your journey here?"

"Yep," Misty said.

Brock paused and considered all this. Then he turned to Ash.

"You never do things by halves, do you?" he asked simply.

"Pika," Pikachu said, deadpan, from his lap.

"Not really," Ash said with a sheepish smile.

"Wait, that's it?" Gary demanded. On Ash's lap Rapidash, who had fallen asleep during the story, stirred slightly before settling. "Ash tells you that the fate of all the Legendary Pokémon almost literally rests on his shoulders, and _that's_ all you say?"

"When travelling with Ash, you learn not to react extremely to unexpected news," Brock said sagely.

"There's another one of you," Gary said with a groan, rubbing his hand over his face. "You and Misty… you both must have been mad to last even a week with him."

"Hey," Ash said, slightly annoyed.

"You don't get to say anything," Gary said accusingly, pointing at him. "You're the maddest of all of us. And, god help me, I'll be as mad as all of you by the end of this."

Brock smiled slightly and, in a moment of mischievousness, reached out and patted Gary on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said with a nod. "Insanity isn't that bad once you get used to it."

Gary groaned again while Misty, Pikachu and Ash snickered. Straightening, though, Brock turned back to the trainer, humour fading.

"In all seriousness, though, this is something beyond anything else you've ever done," he said, and the grin fell from Ash's face. "It's going to be incredibly dangerous."

"I know," Ash said, lips twisting into a grimace. "It's already been pretty bad, and we've only found Uxie, Giratina and Suicune."

Uxie settled in Ash's hair, perhaps in comfort. She and Brock had greeted each other warmly; they had been connected for some time while Brock had travelled through Sinnoh with Dawn and Ash, and he still remembered the connection he shared with her. Even now, he could feel her presence near him. He wondered if Ash would feel the same thing with Azelf when they found it.

With an almost inaudible sigh, he ran his hand through his hair. In all honesty, he knew exactly what he wanted to do now. He had parted from Ash so that he could chase his dream but this was bigger than that, just as it was bigger than Gary's research and Misty's gym. Even Ash's dream was being put on hold for this, and Brock would like nothing more than to drop everything and go with all of them.

But he couldn't.

Not yet, at least.

"Alright," he said with a nod, squaring his shoulders. "You're heading to Vermillion City from here, right? After Ponyta hatches, I'll be done here. Any chance I could catch a ride?"

"Gladly," Gary said with a nod while Misty and Ash grinned.

"After that, though," he said, and the grins faded a little. "I need to return to Pewter City. I'm required home, unfortunately, and I have some other jobs to finish before I can do anything else. After all, I'm still studying under a Pokémon doctor, you know."

"That's fine," Ash hurried to assure him, though he wasn't able to quite cover his disappointed look.

Brock couldn't help but smile slightly. It was funny how alive he felt to remember just how much his younger companions had relied on him. For some, it would be a burden that they would have been glad to be rid of, but Brock had _missed_ having Ash and the others around to look after. And, right now, he knew that Ash would need him more than ever to provide steady support in the way that only he had ever been able to for the trainer.

"It will take some time to sort everything out," he continued. "But after that…" He caught Ash's eyes, conveying everything he could in a single gaze. "I'll join you. If you'll have me."

Because that Alakazam had foreseen that Ash would meet an important friend for his journey on this road, right? Brock didn't know if he was that friend or not, but there had to be a reason they had met here. And he wasn't going to take the chance that something bad could happen if he didn't go with them.

Ash searched his face, searching for something. For his conviction? For his determination? Whatever it was, he found it, because he gave a short nod.

"Of course," he said and then he grinned, a silly grin full of such excitement and anticipation that Brock had to laugh.

"You're the best, Brock," Misty said, heart-felt, and looking about two seconds away from throwing her arms around in thanks.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed. "Pikachu!"

"It'll probably be good to have someone more patient around," Gary admitted sheepishly.

"Don't forget you have my Pokégear number," Misty pointed out. "Just call us when you're ready and we'll tell you where we are."

"And don't rush or anything!" Ash added.

Brock smiled at him but didn't say anything. He knew he would be going as fast as he physically could in order to join the group sooner.

Before anyone else could say anything, Lara opened the door of the stable and poked her head inside. She had been gone too long to be merely making up a bed, which meant that she had been giving them time to talk things out.

"Gary, Misty, your beds are ready if you want to come inside now," she offered.

"Actually, I might take you up on that," Gary said, standing and stretching. "It's been a long day and we had an early start."

"Right," Misty said, not quite hiding a yawn as she also stood. "You two will be okay out here?"

"We'll be fine," Brock assured her as Ash flashed her a grin and nodded.

She nodded back, and then the two of them were gone, bidding them goodnight. It wasn't that late at night just yet, but Brock had seen the signs of tiredness on all three faces; their journey had bearly begun, but a lot had already happened even in this short space of time.

He looked over at Ash. Rather than sleepy, he looked oddly thoughtful, and Brock could only imagine what was going through his mind right now. Something like this was so incredibly large, even for Ash. The weight of it must have been pressing down on him, not that he would ever admit it… not until it became too much.

He would be there before that happened, he told himself.

"Get some sleep, Ash," he told the trainer and Ash blinked at him, startled out of his thoughts. Brock was almost glad; the solemn, contemplative look didn't really sit well on Ash's face.

"Yeah, I think I will," Ash said, leaning back against the wall. "I think Gary's hoping we'll get moving tomorrow morning; he wanted to be in Vermillion City by tomorrow night."

"I imagine this is all knew for him," Brock said with an amused smile.

"Yeah," Ash said with a laugh before he covered his mouth, trying to smother a yawn. "He caught a Beedrill this morning that was attacking the Pokémon Centre we passed through… Beedrill was pretty angry." His eyes drooped. "You'll have to look at him, though, now that he's travelling with us…"

"I'll look at Beedrill tomorrow," Brock said patiently, waiting while Ash drifted off to sleep.

"Good," Ash's eyes closed as his head drooped to the side. But then his lips twitched upward in a smile. "Brock?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're coming with us."

And then he slumped sideways, fast asleep. Pikachu was already fast asleep beside him, curled up against his stomach. Brock shook his head in fond amusement.

"I am too," he said out loud, despite the fact that his friend couldn't hear him.

And then he settled back to keep watch, keeping an eye both on the egg and his trouble-attracting friend. Nothing would happen to either of them tonight, of that he would make sure.

POKEMONPOKEMONPOKEMON

It felt like Ash had only been asleep for seconds before a hand was roughly shaking him awake. Groaning, he opened his eyes and stared blearily up at Brock, who was hovering over him. A glance at the window told him that it was still night, so why was he being woken?

"Brock?" he asked, trying to force himself awake; he knew, even in the midst of his sleepiness, that Brock would have only woken him with a very good reason. "What is it?"

"The egg, Ash," Brock said, his face alight with excitement. It was then that Ash realised he could see a glow from the corner of his eye and that Rapidash had moved from her position on his lap. "It's hatching."

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Nine;_ With more friends, new and old, with them, the group continues their journey… and discovers that Professor Oak has had a hand in making things much easier for them.

 **Thanks to;**

LuckyKittens, KHLostEmpress, Lynxgoddess, bankerrtx01, Yami-Chan and Unrealistic, Mists, thor94, jakeroo123, Guest, Luna and Sarah. Thanks for your reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Look, an update! I have all the intentions in the world to upload this story quicker, but it just never seems to happen; everything else just seems to get in the way. Still, I have one exam to finish in about three weeks, and then I'm free for several months, so hopefully I'll have more time to update. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

 **Chapter Nine;**

Ash couldn't help but fidget anxiously as he watched the egg glow, Pikachu watching intently from his shoulder. Brock was checking on it while Rapidash curled around it, and everything seemed alright… but it was taking a long time to hatch, wasn't it? It had already been an hour since Brock had woken him, though Rapidash wasn't showing any concern.

"It's taking an awful long time," Lara said from where she was sitting beside Ash; Brock had sent Chansey to go and get her when it looked like the egg was starting to hatch, and she had been sitting with them since. "Is something wrong?"

"It doesn't seem like it," Brock said with a calming smile. "Everything about the egg indicates that the Pokémon inside is perfectly healthy."

"I'm sure it will be alright, then," Ash said, rubbing his hand over Rapidash's head as he watched.

"Pokémon eggs all hatch differently," Brock said. "Some of them start to glow and then hatch immediately. On the other hand, I've seen eggs that glow for some time before they even start to hatch. We just have to wait for this little one to be ready."

Almost as if his words were a signal, the egg suddenly flared with bright light, startling everyone present. As they watched, awed, a shape began to take shape among the light and Ash scooted forward, anxiously hoping that the little Ponyta within would be alright.

And then the light faded and he caught his breath. The small Ponyta (so small, smaller than Ash remembered seeing any other Ponyta being) yawned widely and blinked blearily up at Rapidash, who leant down to nuzzle it. What was so surprising, however, was the colour of Ponyta's flames; rather than the flaring red that they were all used to, they were instead a beautiful, bright blue.

"Well, I'll be," Lara said, awed. "A shiny Ponyta. The last time we hatched one, my pa was just a kid."

"Pika…" Pikachu said, hushed

For a moment the three humans and one Pokémon could only sit in awe, and Ash felt a momentary pang of regret that Gary and Misty had slept through something so amazing. Then Brock was shaking his head and moving forward, remembering that his job was to make sure the newborn Ponyta was alright.

It didn't take long to check Ponyta, and the small Pokémon was more than happy to submit to his gentle care. Soon, Brock was sitting back with a content smile.

"This is one healthy, male Ponyta," Brock said with a laugh. "A bit on the small side, but that's no issue."

"I'm glad," Lara said fervently.

"That's great, isn't it, Rapidash," Ash said, leaning forward excitedly.

Rapidash nodded and then turned to whinny softly at Ponyta. The Ponyta looked up at her for a moment before slowly, unsteadily, getting to his feet. For a moment he stood there, knees trembling, and then he took his first, uncertain step.

Unfortunately, it appeared that that was all his was going to manage in one go, because it was at that moment that he fell forward with a startled cry. Ash was quicker, though; he was already close, so it was easy enough to reach out and soften Ponyta's landing with a laugh.

"Maybe Ponyta should get some sleep first, Rapidash," he said, smiling.

It appeared Ponyta agreed, because he was more than happy to curl up beside his mother and begin to doze off. Rapidash let out a huff that sounded almost like fond exasperation before she gave Ash a pointed look and laid her head down. It wasn't hard to get the hint, and Ash shrugged before settling himself down beside Ponyta, content to stay there for the rest of the night as Pikachu made a place for himself on his lap.

"You can go inside now if you want, Brock," he said.

"Nah," Brock said, yawning. "I'll stay here in case something happens and Ponyta needs me."

Ash had the sneaking suspicion that Brock's desire to stay had less to do with the perfectly healthy Ponyta and more to do with him and the story he had told earlier that night, but he let it go. Lara also declared that she was going to stay, and the two of them proceeded to gather some hay to make two hastily cobbled-together beds on either side of the stall.

Later, Ash wouldn't be able to pinpoint exactly when he fell asleep. He would just remember the warmth and comfort that emanated from the stall before he finally drifted off.

POKEMONPOKEMONPOKEMON

The first thing Brock noticed when he woke up was that he was totally alone. For a moment, he blinked, disorientated. Ash, Lara, Rapidash and Ponyta were all gone and he had to wonder how anyone them, particularly Ash (who could barely go _anywhere_ quietly), had managed to get past him without waking him.

Still, he wasn't overly concerned. He could see through the window that the sun hadn't been up that long, and there was really only one thing that could drag Ash willingly from bed at this time of the morning.

As such, he could only grin when he exited the stable to find Ash helping Rapidash encourage Ponyta, who was now walking confidently. He moved to join Lara, who was watching their progress from the shade of a tree.

"How long have you guys been out here?" Brock asked; he felt the familiar urge to say something about her beauty (and she had only grown more beautiful since he had last seen her, something he had wasted no time it telling her when he realised he would be working for her briefly), but he stamped down on it, more interested in watching his friend for now.

"About an hour," Lara said with a small smile. "Ash really is something else, isn't he?"

"He sure is," Brock said, an odd pride settling in him; Ash really had grown up over the years. Many things about him had stayed the same… and there were just as many things that had changed.

As they watched, Ash and Rapidash encouraged Ponyta into a run. The Ponyta, small though he was, was just as excited to try it, even as he stumbled a few times before managing to break into a canter. Even now, barely hours after he had hatched, it was clear to see that Ponyta was going to be both an enthusiastic battler and a powerful one.

He wished, like he suspected Ash did, that they could stay here for a few days and allow Rapidash to spend some time with Ponyta. But Ash and Brock both needed to go back on the road, and Rapidash was intent on having Ponyta go with Ash on his journey. It was as though she had known, even before he hatched, how special Ponyta was going to be, and she wanted Ash to be the one to teach him everything he needed so know.

Which was likely why Ash was out here now, making sure that Rapidash got those extra hours to teach Ponyta what _she_ wanted him to know. Not that it was taking much effort; Ponyta had started to bolt, and Brock watched his speed, noting that he was faster than a lot of Ponyta that he knew. He and Ash, he knew, would make a good team.

"Is Ponyta aware that he will be leaving here today?" he asked eventually.

"I'm not sure," Lara said with a shrug. "But watching him go… he wouldn't like the ranch, would he? You can see what a free spirit he is just by watching him now. He'd hate to be cooped up here. More than ever, I think Rapidash has made the right choice. It makes me wonder if she knew something we didn't."

"Maybe," Brock said musingly; one never knew with Pokémon, after all.

Brock didn't know how long he stood there, watching Ash and Pikachu play an odd sort of tag with Ponyta before Rapidash started to teach the small Pokémon how to use ember and stomp. He was surprised when fire began to spin around Ponyta at one point, and he realised that the Pokémon also had managed to cotton onto Firespin as well.

When the sun was a little higher in the sky, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and watched Misty and Gary coming toward him, looking far more refreshed than they had last night. They were both watching Ash play with Ponyta.

"The egg hatched last night?" Misty asked. "I wish I could have seen it."

"A shiny Ponyta, too," Gary said. "You don't see one of them every day."

"I'll say," Lara agreed. "Ash will have a mighty fine Pokémon when he grows up a bit."

Brock glanced at Gary. He knew the researcher was dying to ask when they could leave, but he bit back the questions, recognising how important it was that Rapidash have this time with Ponyta, regardless of how frustrated he was at the delay. He shared a quick smile with Misty; it looked like Gary had grown up a bit too.

It was another hour before Rapidash felt that she had done enough for Ponyta. Exhausted, but clearly happy, Ash traipsed after Rapidash while Pikachu rode proudly on Ponyta's back, already fast friends with the fire-type.

"How'd it go?" Lara said.

"Great!" Ash said enthusiastically. "Ponyta is really powerful. And…" He trailed off, his smile falling as he looked at Rapidash. "Pikachu says he's eager to see the world."

"Well, that makes things easier," Lara said, pushing herself off the tree. "Here, Ash, take this."

She dropped an oddly coloured Pokéball into his hand and he gazed at it, stunned. It was quite beautiful, painted over with a flame pattern that was reminiscent of the pattern on the egg the night before. Wide eyed, he looked up at Lara.

"That there Pokéball is one that's been used in my family for generations," Lara explained, seeing the questions in his expression. "We have a lot of them, so I'd be honoured if you'd take one and use it for Ponyta, Ash."

Ash stared at the Pokéball, and Brock knew him well enough to know that he was almost overwhelmed by the honour that _he_ felt. After all, he hadn't known Lara and Rapidash for very long, but he had left such an impression on them both that they were willing to allow him to walk away with a very special Ponyta and a Pokéball that no one who wasn't a Laramie had ever used.

But that was Ash all around, wasn't it? Brock doubted that many of the people that Ash had met over the years would ever forget the brash, kind trainer that had whirled into their lives and then whirled straight back out.

"I will," Ash said, suddenly tightening his fingers around the ball. "I'll take good care of them both, I promise."

"I know," Lara said with a nod.

Brock caught movement and saw Ponyta come up to Ash, done with being nuzzled by his mother. He had obviously already been made aware that Ash would be the one training him, and, by the way he rubbed his nose against Ash's shoulder, he was more than happy with that fact.

"We've got to head off now," Ash said to Ponyta, rubbing a hand over Ponyta's head. Ponyta really was a good deal smaller than he should be, Brock noted. He pulled away and turned to Rapidash, hesitating only momentarily before throwing his arms around the Pokémon. "I promise I'll come back and show you how he's doing."

Rapidash whinnied in thanks, nuzzling his cheek, before nudging him away, reminding him that he needed to head off now. Ash squared his shoulders and then, likely before he could change his mind and decide Ponyta was better off here, he raised the Pokéball and tapped Ponyta with it gently. Ponyta willingly went into it without a fuss and the ball let off a satisfying _ding_ , indicating that the Pokémon had been caught.

"That's it," Ash said, seeming a bit shock at everything that had happened in the last few hours. "I just caught a Ponyta."

He turned to Rapidash again, but the large Pokémon was already gone, content with having said her goodbyes. Lara laughed and clapped Ash on the back a little harder than necessary, causing the trainer to stumble forward a few steps.

"Don't worry, Ash," she said enthusiastically. "Get out there and do what you need to do! With Ponyta and Pikachu beside you, you'll be great in no time!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered from the ground.

Ash stared at her and then, suddenly, a broad grin broke out over his face.

"You're right!" he said strongly. "Thanks for everything, Lara!"

"Don't mention it," the woman said fondly. "And make sure you all come visit sometimes, here?"

They gave her a chorus of agreement (and Brock, ignoring the odd look Gary gave him, couldn't help but lavishly promise to return as many times as it took to earn her love), and then they were off, heading back to their car, which was still parked where they had left it yesterday.

"Well, here we go again," Misty said, swiftly jumping into the back seat with Ash and leaving Brock to take the front seat, an odd bit of consideration from his younger companions. "Think we'll still reach Vermillion City tonight, Gary?"

"If we don't stop for too long for lunch and dinner," Gary said, starting the car up. "I'd say Brock was who we were meant to meet on this road, right?"

"I can't imagine meeting anyone else more important," Ash said loyally, and Brock smiled.

"Well, we have some time, so how about more stories, Ash?" Misty said.

"Stories?" Brock asked.

"Ash has been telling us about some of his adventures with Legendary Pokémon," Misty explained. "He told us about LaRousse City the other day."

"Oh, I remember that one," Brock said, musingly. "Trying to get out of that city was a pain."

"I'll say," Ash agreed. "If I remember rightly… I think I was going to tell you about…" His face fell. "Lucario and Mew."

Brock grimaced. This was a story that he wasn't sure he wanted to hear, not after everything that had happened during that particular adventure. He was sure it was going to be even harder on Ash, even after all this time. After all, it was the first time the younger trainer had actually experienced loss.

"Well, might as well," Ash said, straightening his shoulders. "We went to Cameron Palace for a competition…"

POKEMONPOKEMONPOKEMON

It was as he was allowing his companions to absorb the story he had told them (and feeling guilty for allowing Brock to see exactly why he and Misty had given up the front seat so easily), that it occurred to Ash. He had noticed, of course, that something was not right, but he hadn't really been able to say what was wrong.

It was as he stared at Ponyta's Pokéball, however, which he was holding in his hands while Pikachu curled up around it, that he noticed it. He blinked and did a quick head count, making sure he was right. After coming up with the same number several times, he realised that something was _definitely_ not normal.

"Hey, Gary?" he said, tilting his head to stare at the flame covered Pokéball.

"…Yeah?" Gary asked somewhat warily, almost though he was worried Ash was going to add to the sad, almost unbelievable story he had just told.

"I took six Pokémon with me, right?" Ash asked, undeterred.

Gary thought about this for a moment, counting, and then nodded slowly. "What about it?"

"Well…" He held up Ponyta's Pokéball. "Why didn't Ponyta go to the lab, then?"

For a moment, no one said anything as they processed this. And then Gary very calmly pulled to the side of the road and parked the car.

"Why is it that _nothing_ is ever normal with you?" he asked, dropping his head against the steering wheel.

"I think this might be a good time to stop for lunch," Brock said, glancing at his watch; they had been on the road for some time, and they all needed a break, even though it was only eleven o'clock.

"And Ash can phone Professor Oak and ask about it," Misty said dryly. "Since he no doubt has something to do with this."

"Wouldn't Gramps have _told_ us?" Gary groaned pitifully as Ash shrugged and pulled out his Xtranseiver, quickly picking out the professor's number from his contact list.

"You'd think so," Brock said, already opening the boot and apparently unconcerned by yet another unusual occurrence around Ash. Misty joined him moments later to help him pull out the table.

For a long moment, listening to it ring, Ash thought the phone might ring out. It was only at the last second that it was picked up, allowing a dishevelled Professor Oak to come into view.

"Hi, Professor Oak!" Ash greeted cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Ash, my boy, good to see you," Professor Oak, perking up at the sight of him. "I was just on the preserve; several of the Pokémon are working off steam, it appears, and not even Bulbasaur can get them to fully calm. They'll be fine, though, so don't worry."

"Well, that's good, I guess," Ash said a little uncertainly, hoping that the fights weren't too bad and well aware that a lot of _his_ Pokémon were likely involved.

"So, what can I do for you, Ash?" the professor asked, taking a seat. "Are Gary and Misty doing well?"

"Yeah, they're fine," Ash said, grinning. "And we've picked up Brock on the way, too!"

"Brock?" The professor smiled, looking oddly relieved. "I'm glad of that. Will he be with you for long?"

"We'll drop him off in Vermillion City, but he said he'll join us again later."

"Good. Is Gary around?"

"Right here, Gramps," Gary said sourly right at Ash's shoulder, making him jump.

"Ah, Gary, good to see you're looking fine," Professor Oak said, smiling.

"That depends on your definition," Gary snapped, and Professor Oak blinked. "Have you ever travelled with this guy, Gramps?! _Nothing_ goes to plan with him, _nothing_. We stop for a moment, and we find a Beedrill attacking a Pokémon Centre, or an Alakazam that wants to show us the future or a Rapidash that wants us to take a shiny Ponyta… we were meant to get to Vermillion City days ago, and we're still _hours_ away!"

"Oh my," Professor Oak said solemnly. He paused. "Shiny Ponyta, you say?"

"Argh!" Gary cried, gripping at his hair. "Why am I the only sane one around here?!"

"Things around me don't always go the way we want them to," Ash said sheepishly at Professor Oak's raised eyebrow. "Gary's having a hard time accepting that. Still, we found Suicune in Cerulean City, so that's a plus. We're heading out to find Manaphy, now, since we know where it is."

"Oh, that's good," Professor Oak said, nodding. "Thank you for checking in like this."

"No problem, Professor."

"Wait a second!" Ash startled a second time as Gary suddenly reefed the Xtranseiver out of his hands and glared at him. "We weren't just checking in, Gramps! We need to ask you something… Ash caught that Ponyta he mentioned, and now he has seven Pokémon on him. Why did the Pokémon Storage System not work?"

"Ah." Professor Oak cleared his throat guiltily. "I was wondering when you would discover this."

Gary slapped a hand over his face. "I _knew_ you had something to do with this…"

"Why, Professor?" Ash asked curiously, ducking around Gary, who was taller than him, in order to see the screen again.

"Because, Ash, I know that you need all the help you can get," Professor Oak said, his expression serious. "This Xtranseiver is equipped with a temporary jamming device that will stop the automatic transfer of any new Pokémon you catch. I cannot transfer new Pokémon to you unless you return one to me, but nor will any of the Pokémon you or any of your companions catch be transferred to your storage systems until you return at the end of your journey. Every Pokémon you catch, right now, is invisible to the system; according to the transfer system, you still only have six Pokémon." He gazed intently at the stunned Ash and Gary. "I will be trusting all of you not to abusive this privilege.

"O-of course," Ash said numbly. "Professor… thank you."

"Just do your best, all of you," Professor Oak said with a nod. "And make sure that you all come home safely. Please call again once you have caught Manaphy."

"We will," Gary promised. "Bye, Gramps."

Professor Oak nodded again and then he was gone. Ash and Gary looked at each other, shocked by what they had just been told. To think that they had been trusted to _this_ extent, all of them… Professor Oak had known, when they left, how difficult this journey had been, and he was trying to make it as easy as possible for them, in the only way he could. Ash felt a surge of affection for the man, the only older male role model that he had in his life before Brock had come along.

"Figure it out?" Misty called out; she and Brock were done setting up and Brock had already started cooking.

"Yeah," Ash said, shaking away his shock. "Until the end of our journey, none of the Pokémon we catch will be transferred, even if we go over six; Professor Oak was trying to make sure we got all the help we needed."

"Wow…" Misty said, eyes wide. She nodded. "We'll put that to good use then. Remind me to thank Professor Oak when we next see him."

"We'll phone against after we find Manaphy," Gary said, striding over. "Do you want any help, Brock?"

"No, it's fine," Brock said, deep in thought. Ash was amused to note that Uxie was sitting on Brock's shoulder; she had been happy to stay with him, even if invisible while Lara was around, since he joined. "Since I know these two can't cook to save their own lives, have you been making the food, Gary?"

"Yeah," Gary said with a shrug while Ash and Misty pouted. "Though it's only been simple sandwiches and soups. We stop at the Pokémon Centre when we can."

"Before we all leave Vermillion City, I'll make some dinners and lunches that you'll only need to heat up, which should last a little while," Brock said with a nod. "As well as extra Pokémon food. Even if you're busy, you should still get proper sustenance."

"Right," Gary said sheepishly.

Ash smiled as he watched them from a small distance away. Pikachu was with Misty, leaning over her shoulder to look into the pot Brock was throwing ingredients into while the doctor spoke to Gary. Seeing all four of them there, his best friends and his once-rival (and probably a best friend, too, if either of them wanted to admit it), made him feel warm. What was there to worry about in the future with them around him?

" _Ash!"_

The sound of his name was suddenly unexpected in the still peacefulness that had enveloped them, and everyone's heads jerked up in surprise. They weren't quick enough, however, to react to the figure that leapt from the bushes and dashed straight at Ash.

Ash had just a moment to realise he recognised the Pokémon coming at him before it collided with him and the world exploded in blue light.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Ten;_ Another Legendary joins them… and they discover that the world isn't going to remain peaceful forever.

 **Thanks to;**

Bubblekins1010, Lucy, megacharizat, Mists, KHLostEmpress, Dr MAD and Co, Yami-chan and Unrealistic, thor94, jakeroo123, and for your reviews!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** It took longer than I had meant for this chapter to come out. Being constantly blindsided by life really doesn't help matters. Hopefully this burst of inspiration will continue. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter Ten;**

Misty was more than ready to grab the nearest weapon (which happened to be one of Brock's frying pans) and take a swing at whatever it was that was running at Ash. Her hand was already twitching toward it when she paused, however, caught by the fact that Uxie had done no more than turn her head to watch what was happening in interest, unconcerned about the possible threat.

In that moment of hesitation, the Pokémon reached Ash and, seconds later, when a flash of blue lit up the area, it became all too clear what had just happened. A Legendary Pokémon had managed to track Ash down.

It seemed Brock wasn't the only friend they would meet on this road.

The force of the power threw Ash, Pikachu and the Pokémon away from each other, and Misty winced as she watched them all land, hard, on the ground. Considering Ash was doing this to help the Legendary Pokémon, it really was unfair that the results were so explosive.

She turned to look at the Pokémon that had surprised them. It was shaking its maned head, hooves flailing slightly in a rather undignified manner that she found difficult to associate with a Legendary Pokémon, somehow. With its bright blue and red mane, and its long horn, it was not a Pokémon that she recognised. And, from the confused look on Brock's face, it wasn't a Pokémon he had met before, either.

Gary's eyes, however, had widened.

"It's a Keldeo!" he said, blinking rapidly.

"Sorry?" Misty and Brock asked together.

Gary opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he was about to say was lost when Keldeo finally got its bearings and jumped to its feet, cantering toward Ash once more. Ash, who had just sat up and was rubbing his lower back with a grimace, looked up in surprise before a grin appeared on his face.

"Keldeo!" he greeted enthusiastically, getting to his feet. Pikachu bounded up on the table a moment later, also chirping a greeting of his own, though still looking a little put out by the tumble.

" _Ash, it's so good to see you!"_ Keldeo said, looking about two seconds from jumping on the trainer once more. _"I've been looking for you for so long, it was so hard to get from home to here, I had to take ships and trains and I wouldn't have even known about that if it wasn't for you, but I really needed to come and find you because you really need to help because I can't reach them anymore, Ash!"_

Misty blinked, slowly sorting through what had just been said in her mind. It had been said so quickly, almost in one breath, and she didn't quite understand what Keldeo was talking about.

"Uxie?" Brock asked, glancing at the small Pokémon. "What does Keldeo need help with?"

" _I doubt Keldeo has even noticed the shadows chasing him in his bid to find the Chosen One,"_ Uxie said with a small bit of amusement. _"I have no doubt that he is here to seek help for his friends."_

"Keldeo is said to be the apprentice of the Swords of Justice, a group of Pokémon that only appears when help is needed," Gary explained.

" _Keldeo_ is _a Sword of Justice,"_ Uxie countered, and Gary's stared at her, surprised. _"He achieved this status with the Chosen One's help, thus why his first thought was to find the Chosen One when in his time of need."_

"Another story to come, no doubt…" Gary muttered with a sigh.

"Hang on, Keldeo, slow down!" Ash said, holding his hands up and not paying any attention at all to the conversation going on between his friends. "I'm not sure what you're trying to say."

Keldeo stopped mid-sentence and drew in a deep breath, steadying himself. Then, alarmingly, his eyes started to fill with tears.

" _The Swords of Justice,"_ he said weakly. _"Cobalion… Virizion… Terrakion… They're all acting really strangely, Ash. They… they started attacking each other, and they wouldn't listen to anything I said. And when I tried to stop them, they attacked_ me _and then disappeared. I don't know where they are!"_

"Oh," Ash said bleakly, sadness crossing his face; if he had been around Keldeo for a small period of time, no doubt he had also become acquainted with the other Pokémon as well. "That means the Shadow got them."

" _Shadow?"_ Keldeo asked, blinking.

" _Have you felt something chasing you during your journey here, Keldeo?"_ Uxie asked, drifting from Brock's shoulder and landing on Ash's hat. _"A presence that you could not explain, but you knew you must get away from?"_

" _Yeah… yeah, I felt that,"_ Keldeo said, subdued. _"Was that the Shadow?"_

" _Yes,"_ Uxie said. _"The Shadow is chasing us all, and it will attempt to corrupt our minds should it catch us. Only the Chosen One's blessing can protect us right now."_

" _Chosen One…?"_ It was almost odd how confused Keldeo sounded by all this; Misty had gotten used to the Legendary Pokémon appearing to know far more than they did. _"Blessing…?"_ Suddenly, his expression cleared, and he turned to face Ash. _"The Chosen One from the stories Virizion told me!_ You're _the Chosen One, Ash?"_

"Apparently," Ash said a little awkwardly.

" _That's so cool!"_ Keldeo said enthusiastically. _"The Chosen One helped me become a Sword of Justice,_ and _he gave me his blessing! Do I call you Chosen One now, Ash, like Uxie does?"_

"No!" Ash said hurriedly, and Misty suppressed a grin at his panic; it was funny how he could brag about some things incessantly and then be so modest about others. "No, just call me by name, okay, Keldeo? I like that better."

"Pika…" Pikachu snickered from the table, finding all this highly amusing.

" _Ash, then,"_ Keldeo said with a firm nod. _"So, I can come with you now, right? I feel like I need to stay with you for some reason…"_ He tossed his head. _"Well, I need to find Virizion, Cobalion and Terrakion, anyway! You'll help me find them, right, Ash?"_

"Of course," Ash said with a grin. "That's what we're doing right now; protecting all the Legendary Pokémon! We already have Suicune and Giratina with us, as well as Uxie."

" _Wow…"_ Keldeo breath, the expression his face undeniably hero-worship. Then he noticed the other humans. _"Hey, those guys aren't Iris and Cilan. Are they your friends, Ash?"_

"Yeah!" Ash said, seizing the change of subject and hurrying over to the table. "This is Misty, Brock and Gary, Keldeo; they're travelling with me right now."

" _It's good to meet any friends of Ash's,"_ Keldo said strongly, bowing his head to them.

"It's good to meet you too, Keldeo," Misty said with a warm smile.

"Now I'm not sure if Alakazam was foretelling us meeting Brock or Keldeo," Gary said with a sigh, crossing his arms.

"I wouldn't wonder about it too hard," Brock advised. "Keldeo, would you like to join us for lunch? Usually only Uxie does, but there's plenty of extra!"

" _Would I?"_ Keldeo asked, brightening. _"I'm super hungry!"_

"That's good," Brock said with a laugh. "Lunch is just about ready, guys."

" _Great!"_ Keldeo said, pleased, trotting over. _"Thanks for having me!"_

Ash made to follow him, but Misty's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. She was somewhat surprised to notice that Gary had reached out to grab his other arm at the same time, apparently having the same idea.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked them, blankly.

"Keldeo… isn't really like other Legendaries, is he?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, not really," Ash said, grinning. "Keldeo is still pretty young, though, so it's not too surprising. He was an apprentice not too long ago, and he was only allowed to become a Sword of Justice because he learnt the move Sacred Sword. Virizion told me he still has a long way to go."

"A young Legendary, huh?" Gary mused. He shook his head. "Well, anyway. I'm telling you now, Ashy-boy; after lunch, we're driving _all_ the way to Viridian City, and we're _not stopping anywhere_ , hear?"

"Uh, sure," Ash said, blinking.

"As long as we're clear," Gary huffed before dropping his arm and stalking off.

"What's with him?" Ash asked Misty, puzzled. 

"He just wants to make sure there aren't any more delays," Misty said with a small laugh. She realised she was still holding Ash's arm and dropped it, flushing slightly; Ash hadn't even noticed. She paused, staring at him for a moment. "Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah?" Ash asked, tilting his head slightly.

In the background there were the sounds of the Pokémon gathering around for lunch. Gary had made a beeline to Keldeo, fascinated by the new Legendary, and Brock was laughing as he told some eager Pokémon to hold on for a moment. But that all faded slowly as she stared at him before words tumbled out of her mouth without her permission.

"We're going to be okay, right?"

It was natural to worry. Things had moved so fast, right from the very beginning. At times, when she only had her own thoughts for company, she thought about the large task before them, and couldn't help but remember the _last_ time the fate of the world had fallen on Ash's shoulders. She would never, ever forget that desperate swim into the ocean, hoping against hope that he would be alive, that she would make it in time, just before she had found him floating lifelessly in the water…

She doubted Ash really thought about those moments too much, the times when he had to risk his life and the handful of times when he actually came close to losing it. He was never the one that had to watch and wait, after all, and it terrified her to think that this was _bigger_ than any of those times, that this was more perilous than anything else, because if Ash could stumble on danger unexpectedly at every turn, then how much more dangerous was it going to be when he was _actively looking for it_?

Perhaps Ash saw something of these thoughts flashing across her face. A flicker in his eyes told her that he heard her question and understood where it came from. She thought that maybe he was frightened too, that the large task was such a heavy burden that he wasn't sure he could carry it.

Then, unexpectedly, he grinned.

"Yeah, we'll be okay," he said firmly. "After all, I have you to watch my back, right?"

Then he turned and walked away, and she remembered that he had always managed to seem larger than life. The last few regions, it appeared, had just made him even more dependable and trustworthy… even though she had always trusted him with her life. Just like that, some of those fears started to fade.

She sighed and then smiled, shaking her head at herself. It was hard to forget, sometimes, what sort of person Ash was. But that was alright.

It was times like these when she remembered why she would follow him wherever he went, if she were able.

POKEMONPOKEMON

Gary peered at Ash suspiciously across the table; they had just finished lunch, and Brock and Misty were clearing the table.

"Who are you and what had you done with Ash Ketchum?" he demanded.

"What?" Ash asked, half confused and half irritated by the question.

"That suggestion was _smart_ ," Gary sniffed, his implication more than clear.

"Hey!" Ash cried, insulted. "I can suggest things that are smart!"

"Regardless, it _is_ a good idea," Brock said, smoothly insinuating himself into the argument in a way that said he had had a lot of practice doing so over the years. "Why don't we check it now?"

"Fine," Gary said, rolling his eyes.

The suggestion in question, which Ash had made offhandedly as he dropped his fork onto his plate contentedly, had been to check the Pokénav. At this point in time, they hadn't had much reason to check it, since they were mostly following the main road from Saffron to Fuchsia and then from Fuchsia to Vermillion (and Gary had driven around this region so much, when he had come here about a year ago for research, that he knew a lot of these roads like the back of his hand). Ash hadn't suggested that they look at the map, though; he was more interested in hearing the news.

"Why the sudden fascination with the news, anyway, Ash?" Gary asked with a raised eyebrow as he dug he small, yellow device out of his pocket.

"Well…" Ash deflated slightly. "I told you, didn't I? The three Legendary bird Pokémon have left the Orange Islands; Moltres and Articuno have fled, but Zapdos is looking for me. It makes sense that Zapdos is somewhere in Kanto, causing trouble somewhere, doesn't it?"

"You need to introduce me to whoever taught you to think logically," Gary said with a laugh. "I'd like to shake their hand." He waved off Ash's glare. "Chill, Ash, it's a good idea. I agree with you on that, though hopefully Zapdos _isn't_ causing trouble." He glanced at the first report title and blanched. "Though I think that might be wishful thinking."

"What?" Ash asked, eyes widening. "Why?"

"Is a report about Zapdos in there?" Misty asked.

"Not just one," Gary said grimly, skimming the list. _"Multiple_ reports."

In an instant, Ash, Misty and Brock were crowding around behind Gary so they could see the screen. Titles like _'Electric Legendary Sighted in Viridian City!'_ and _'Unnatural Thunderstorms in Cerluean!'_ leapt out at them.

"If we order them all together," Brock said, frowning. "It looks like Zapdos started causing trouble in Viridian City before it passed over Pewter City – look, there's a sighting there – then caused some storms in Cerulean City before heading down into Saffron City, where it actively terrorised the city for several hours before it flew south, attacking villages as it went. If we follow its flight path, then…"

"…It'll be in Vermillion City soon," Gary said grimly.

They stood there, shocked and horrified by what they were reading. They'd known, logically, that some Pokémon would get violent after they'd been caught by the Shadow; after all, Uxie had had no problem attacking Professor Oak's preserve before Ash saved her, and Suicune could have done a lot more damage to Cerulean Gym if they hadn't been there. But to read about them actively attacking towns?

"This… Zapdos is searching for me, isn't it?" Ash asked, pale, as he turned his eyes to Uxie.

" _Yes,"_ Uxie said before anyone else could try and refute that. _"Zapdos is desperate to find you right now, and he is searching places he knows you have been. If he does not find you in Vermillion, he will likely make his way this way, to Fuchsia City."_

"I see" Ash said quietly. Concerned, Gary glanced at him, but was taken aback by the sudden fire in his eyes. "Then we need to get to Vermillion City quickly." He glanced at Gary. Gone was the goofy, childish trainer that Gary liked to rile up. In his place was a strong, confident trainer, one determined to do whatever he needed to in order to get the job done. It was a startling change, one that Gary had never really seen before. "Gary, how quickly can we get there?"

"We've made good time," Gary said, checking the Pokégear. "We're still six hours away." He pursed his lips. "I can get us there sooner if I speed."

"Right," Ash said with a nod. "We'll do that, then. Which means we need to leave right now."

"On it, Ash," Brock said, already packing up the table and lunch dishes.

" _Is Zapdos really attacking people?"_ Keldeo asked quietly, watching as the humans suddenly started rushing around, putting things away and returning Pokémon.

"Zapdos is in trouble, like the Swords of Justice," Ash explained shortly.

" _Giratina is going on ahead,"_ Uxie said, and Gary turned to see that the jewel on her forehead was glowing as she saw something that they could not. _"Suicune has also started moving. Keldeo and I will remain here. Keldeo, we will need to travel in the car; you are not fast enough to travel at the same speeds we will need to go."_

" _Right,"_ Keldeo said with a nod.

"Keldeo, is it alright if you sit down on the floor here, between Misty and I?" Brock asked, gesturing to the place he was talking about. "It might be a bit bumpy, but we'll try to brace you."

" _That's fine,"_ Keldeo assured him. _"Though I've never travelled in a car before."_

"Here, we'll help you get settled…"

Ash leapt into the front seat as Misty and Brock helped Keldeo into the car. Gary did one last sweep of the area, making sure they hadn't forgotten anything, and then closed the boot. It was strange how everything had moved so quickly, as though the peaceful air that had enveloped them during lunch had completely disappeared. In a split second everything had changed, and they had all just moved along with it, swept up in the suddenness of it all. Ash, Misty and Brock, in particular, had leapt into action and Gary realised, a little numbly, that perhaps the three of them were used to moving quickly at small notice, especially if even half the things Ash had been saying in his stories were true.

There was still a small part of him that didn't really believe any of it. Ash was… foolish and reckless, though he had a large, kind heart that had won him much respect over the course of his journey from people and Pokémon alike. The kid that had left Pallet Town, so long ago, was not a trainer that habitually threw himself into danger… the kid he had grown up with hadn't been nearly as trouble-prone. So he had heard and been shocked at the stories, but a part of him was sure most of it was an exaggeration and that Ash had simply gotten good at telling stories.

Except that Ash _wasn't_ good at telling stories; he had always been far too honest to exaggerate anything that he had experienced, unless he was bragging. Yet he definitely hadn't been bragging during those stories, and the emotions in his voice as he told them had been far too real.

And, looking at him now, Gary could suddenly believe it was all true. Because _this_ trainer could easily be the one that had saved and befriended several Legendary Pokémon over the course of his journey, this quiet, serious trainer that had set his eyes on the horizon, ready to fix whatever was broken.

There had to be a reason, a small voice in the back of his mind whispered, that Uxie called him the Chosen One, after all.

He needed to have a long talk with Ash, he decided. Misty and Brock were far too comfortable with the idea of something dangerous happening at a whim, which meant that Ash was leaving out _a lot_ , considering only four of the stories he had told, so far, involved Misty. What had happened during the course of his journey that he could flip the switch from goofball trainer to serious hero so easily? He suddenly had a burning desire to know.

Still, that would have to wait for another time. Right now, it was imperative that they get to Vermillion City as soon as possible, especially if Zapdos was heading that way. They couldn't afford to miss the Legendary Pokémon, especially since he _really_ had no desire to start tracking the flying/electric type all across the region.

They would make things right, just like they had with Giratina, Uxie, Suicune and Keldeo. They would work together to make sure the city stayed safe.

"Ash, you hold onto the Pokégear, keep watch for any updates in the news," Gary said as he jumped into his seat, handing the device to Ash.

"Ash, hand me your Xtransiever, and I'll get hold of Professor Oak," Brock said, leaning forward.

"What for?" Ash asked, handing it over.

"To see if he can get hold of someone that can get Vermillion City evacuated before Zapdos strikes," Brock explained, already looking for the number.

Gary felt a chill run down his spine. Brock wasn't expecting them to get there on time and, from the look on Ash's face as he nodded, he agreed.

He heard his grandfather pick up, likely surprised to get another call so soon, but he tuned them out and started the car. With a roar of the engine and a faint squeal of the tyres, he pulled out onto the road and sped down it. Hopefully, if they were lucky, they would make it to Vermillion City _without_ attracting the attention of every Officer Jenny in the area, but he would have to worry about that if it came to it.

Get to Vermillion City… that was all they could focus on now.

POKEMONPOKEMON

Ash clutched the Pokégear in his hand tightly as he watched the skyline of Vermillion City begin to rise over the hill. He wondered, for a moment, how the evacuation process was going; Professor Oak had listened to their story gravely and then promised to get hold of Agatha. Barely half an hour later, a news report came through saying that the Champion Lance had order a full of evacuation of the city.

Still, that wasn't really what concerned Ash right now. What _did_ worry him was the fact that, an hour ago, they got the news that Zapdos was officially in Vermillion City.

Already they could see smoke rising. What damage had Zapdos done to the port city in his blind rage? Had they managed to get everyone out on time? What…?

Then they came over the hill and Gary hit the break as they all gasped, shocked by what they were seeing.

Vermillion City was burning.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Eleven;_ With Vermillion City under attack, the group takes measures to protect everyone and save the Legendary Pokémon. But are they prepared to face the force of Zapdos' power?

 **Thanks to;**

foxchick1, Beasttamer99, Bubblekins1010, stardust902, KHLostEmpress, tor94, Yami-chan and Unrealistic, Dr MAD and Co, Mists, Duja89, Kiomori, tanithlipsky and all other guest reviewers. One of these days, I really am going to learn to reply to your reviews as they come in rather than right before a new chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** Ugh, I'm hopeless. I got caught in a spiral of work, study and emotions, and the time passed before I even realised it. On top of that, I even got private messages that I didn't reply to because I was so in everything. Thank you to everyone who's been patient with me, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I won't make any promises for the next one, but I will _try_ and get it out quicker.

 **Chapter Eleven;**

The people of Vermillion City, it appeared, hadn't gotten far, and they were still running from within, directed by policemen. Already there was a barrier being set up around the city, keeping away anyone foolish enough to try their hand at battling the enraged Zapdos.

"How are we going to get in?" Gary asked numbly, barely able to believe the sheer destruction that he was witnessing.

Ash shook his head wordlessly, unsure. He had seen things being destroyed before, of course. La Rousse City had almost fallen under the combination of Deoxys' and Rayquaza's battle and the technology rebelling, and Alamos Town had started disappearing right in front of him into a different dimension. But this… this was different, somehow. This was a single Pokémon destroying buildings and wreaking havoc _because it wanted to_ , not just as an unfortunate side-effect. Zapdos knew what he was doing, and he was doing it anyway.

All in his search for Ash.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu murmured in his head. Ash turned to look at the small Pokémon, and Pikachu looked back determinedly. "Pika!"

Just like that, feeling surged back through him. He straightened, clenching his hands at his sides. He knew he could stop this; they just had to get into the city.

"Any plans?" he asked, making his three friends blink at him.

The hard look in his eyes, however, snapped them out of their shock. Misty turned to scan the city, eyes narrowing as she focused on one spot in particular.

"We can sneak in through the water," she said, tapping her chin. "They haven't bothered to put a barrier at the port, so we can use our water Pokémon to swim through the water and come into the city through there."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Brock said, nodding.

"An _insane_ plan," Gary groaned. "But it's the only plan we have. Does everyone have water Pokémon?"

Misty, Brock and Ash shot him an incredulous look, and the researcher flushed as he realised what a ridiculous question it was; Misty was a water Pokémon gym leader, and _all_ her Pokémon were water-types. Even if none of them except Misty had a water-type, they'd still be fine.

In the end, though, it turned out that they all had at least one water-type with them; Ash had Totodile, who was very enthusiastic about the upcoming subterfuge (Ash _really_ needed to stop teaching his Pokémon that it was both alright and exciting to break the rules), Brock had Marshtomp with him, Gary's Blastoise was more than happy to go for a swim, and Misty decided to use her Milotic. Uxie could easily travel above the water, invisible, and Keldeo was happy to swim with them; it was easy to forget, sometimes, that Keldeo was also a water-type.

Despite the strict barrier that the police officers had set up around the city, as well as the helicopters flying overhead and the officers that were no doubt patrolling the streets, it was surprisingly easy to get into Vermillion City. Ash was almost a little disappointed when they managed to climb onto the empty docks without incident.

"Well, that wasn't too difficult," Gary said, grimacing as he ran a hand through his wet hair.

A nearby explosion made them all flinch simultaneously, reminding them of what was ahead. It might have been easy to get _into_ the city, but the hardest part of this trip was still yet to come.

"Any plans, Ash?" Misty asked as she returned Milotic.

"Not really," Ash said sheepishly. "Zapdos is a flying type, so I thought maybe Charizard could help me."

"Zapdos is also an electric Legendary Pokémon that will zap any of your Pokémon easily," Gary pointed out sardonically.

" _Zapdos is currently more powerful than usual due to the corruption,"_ Uxie said before Ash could retort. _"The Shadow's influence makes our attacks more devastating than they would be ordinarily."_

"Wait… so you're saying that we're about to go up against an angry Legendary Pokémon, which is usually ridiculously powerful anyway, when it's _supercharged_?" Gary asked incredulously.

"That does sound like that's what she said," Brock said weakly.

Well, this just kept getting better and better. Ash hadn't noticed this fact before because everything had happened so quickly. It would have been nice if Uxie had mentioned this before. Well, at least Suicune and Giratina were likely already in the city, waiting for them, and they had both Uxie and Keldeo with them. Even with two water-type Legendaries alongside them, it shouldn't be easy for Zapdos to knock them out.

"Well, let's try and be quick about it, then," he said, nodding. "We just have to get Zapdos as low to the ground as possible, and then…"

"Hey, what are you lot doing here?!"

The sound of the irritated voice made all of them freeze. Turning with a cringe, he was not surprised to see Officer Jenny running toward them with a glare, a Growlithe at her side.

"Busted," Gary muttered.

"Uh, hi, Officer Jenny," Ash said with a weak smile.

"Did you come through the _water_?" Officer Jenny asked, shocked, as she skidded to a stop before them and took in their wet clothes. Her glare darkened. "I can see that you're all trainers, but this is too much for you! Please come with me and we'll wait outside for the Champion to arrive!"

"Wait, we can explain," Ash said, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. Unfortunately, Office Jenny used that moment to grab one of his wrists and attempt to pull him along. "Officer Jenny, we really need to…!"

All of a sudden, a force pushed him back, freeing him from Officer Jenny's hold. Blinking, wondering what had just happened, he looked forward… and then realised that he should never have been confused.

Obviously unable to hold back a moment longer, Brock had darted forward and separated Ash and the police officer before grabbing her hand, a ridiculously dopey expression on his face. It always amused Ash that it didn't matter _how_ serious the situation was; Brock still managed to find the time to flirt.

"Officer Jenny!" he gushed, and the woman blinked, confused. "It has been too long since we were together! How my heart has longed for you, and only you! I'll follow you wherever you go…!"

"Here we go," Misty muttered, striding forward and mercilessly grabbing Brock's ear, eliciting a yelp of pain from the trainee doctor. "Cool it, Brock, can't you see how serious things are right now?"

She dragged him off. Gary and Officer Jenny watched them go in stunned disbelief while Ash couldn't help but laugh, Pikachu shaking in amusement on his shoulder.

"I almost missed that," Ash said, grinning.

"What… was that?" Gary asked, blinking wildly.

"Brock," Ash said simply with a shrug. Still, Brock's untimely ice-breaker _had_ given him the chance he needed, so he turned to Officer Jenny, who still looked like she wasn't sure what to do now. "Please, Officer Jenny, you need to listen to me; we know how to stop this."

"What?" Officer Jenny asked, thrown once more by the statement.

"That Zapdos… it's not in its right mind, and we know why," Ash said solemnly. "Something is hurting the Legendary Pokémon, but we can stop it. We've already done it before."

Officer Jenny blinked, and finally took a look at the group in front of her. Apart from the four teenagers and a Pikachu, there was also a Pokémon that looked an awful lot like a Legendary from Unova, staring up at the sky with a serious expression.

"You're… serious, aren't you?" she asked, somewhat awed, as she turned back to Ash.

"Yes," Ash said, nodding, relieved that he had final gotten through to her. "I know you're evacuating everyone for good reason… but will you let us do what we came for?"

It was likely against every urge within her to allow that. They were young trainers now under her care, and there was currently a dangerous Legendary running rampant, one that could seriously harm them. But there must have been something about the look in Ash's eyes, because Officer Jenny stared at him intently for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Alright," she said, sounding like she was already regretting this. "Lance will arrive in one hour, so you have until then to fix this, got it? If you haven't managed it by the time he gets here, you'll have to clear out.

"Don't worry, Officer Jenny," Ash said, grinning. "We won't even need an hour."

Officer Jenny frowned doubtfully. "I hope you all know what you're doing."

"We do, we swear it," Misty said from behind Ash and, together, the four of them stared at her seriously, hoping to reassure her.

She sighed. "Fine, go on with you. My officers will aid you should you need assistance. And _be careful_ out there!"

"We will!" Ash said, already starting to run.

"Thanks, Officer Jenny!" Gary added as the others followed.

"That was harder than expected," Misty said with a frown; none of them looked back. "I didn't think we'd run into Officer Jenny so soon."

"She was probably patrolling the area in case idiotic trainers like us tried to take on a dangerous Legendary Pokémon," Gary pointed out dryly.

"The difference between us and them is that we know what we're up against and what to do about it, though," Brock countered with a shrug.

"Zapdos is just up ahead, guys!" Ash said; he had only been listening to the conversation with one ear. "Heads up!"

They rounded a corner and then, suddenly, there he was. Zapdos, as large and majestic and _angry_ as the last time Ash had seen him, when he had tried to take Moltres' island and then fought fiercely with both Articuno and Moltres. Of course, he had calmed by the time it was all over, but seeing him now brought back the memory of that awful time.

"Think he'll remember you?" Gary joked, obviously thinking along the same lines; he had not been happy to hear the story of Ash risking his life for three glittering treasures, even if they _did_ help save the world.

"I don't think that would be a good thing right now," Brock said wryly.

As if he had heard them, Zapdos' head whipped around to face them suddenly, and they froze. For a long moment they all stared at each other.

And then a dark gleam crossed through Zapdos' eyes, and the wave of maliciousness that went through Ash almost made him nauseous.

"Duck!" he yelled.

They hit the ground, no one hesitating for even a moment. Just in time, too; fierce lightning fried the air above them, sizzling and sparkling before it faded away. Ash did _not_ want to get hit by that.

"Split up!" Gary said as they scrambled to their feet and raced away. "We'll confuse it that way!"

"Right!" they all agreed and, when they came to a parting of streets they all split up.

What they had forgotten to think about, however, was the fact that Zapdos was attacking cities for a reason. He was looking for someone. And the very person he was looking for had just detached from a group and raced on by himself.

As such, Zapdos did not hesitate before flying after Ash.

A few choice words, ones that he had heard occasionally on the road and which he didn't fully know the meaning of except that people uttered them when they were angry or stressed, passed through Ash's mind. He had completely forgotten that Zapdos was searching for _him_.

"Uxie, what do I do?" he asked, sure the Legendary was nearby.

There was no reply. Eyes wide, Ash looked around for some hint of a distortion in the air, but was forced to realise, moments later, that she was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone with Brock. On top of that, Keldeo had gone with Misty, and he had seen a blue flash as Suicune followed Gary.

So, his friends were being protected too, which was great. That left Giratina with him. Except… Ash had decided to choose some tiny back streets, and there was a not a single reflective surface to be seen. Which meant that he and Pikachu were on their own.

"This is not going well," he muttered.

"Pika," Pikachu said bleakly.

Ash's original plan had been to force Zapdos to the ground and grab him. Without the others around, however, that plan was gone. Zapdos was too high in the sky, and the only reason he hadn't attacked yet was because he couldn't aim well enough until the streets widened. Was there another way to get to Zapdos?

And then Ash's eyes fell on the tall building rising ahead of them.

It was probably stupid, but Ash wasn't really a stranger to reckless decisions made in the heat of the moment. He had dived off cliffs, fallen from waterfalls, stood in front of Pokémon attacks… and everything had turned out fine in the end. So, when it crossed his mind that he could go through the tall building and get to the same height as Zapdos in order to reach the Legendary… it didn't occur to him at all that it was probably one of the stupidest things he could have decided on.

"I've got an idea, Pikachu!" he said, eyes bright as he put on a burst of speed. "Come on!"

All of the windows in the building had been blown out, and it looked like there was smoke coming from somewhere. Ash didn't hesitate before running inside, however, lightning striking the ground behind him before he got in.

"That was close!" he breathed. "Ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika," Pikachu said seriously with a nod, understanding exactly what they were doing; sometimes, he, too, forgot how foolish some decisions could be.

The elevator didn't work, so Ash crashed through the door to the emergency staircase and dashed up the steps. The building was fairly tall, and he didn't know exactly how high Zapdos was flying, so he would have to go all the way to the roof.

As he passed the third floor, he thought he heard something explode from very far away. He stopped as he and Pikachu listened. Then several more explosions occurred before silence fell once more.

"Did you hear that?" he asked Pikachu.

"Pi pika Pikachu," Pikachu said with a frown.

"Yeah, nothing we can do about it," Ash agreed. "Let's just keep going. I hope the others are alright, though."

As worried as he was about the others, it was at least somewhat reassuring to know that Zapdos was likely still focused on him, even out of sight as he was. As such, he dashed all the way to the top, ignoring the burning in his lungs and muscles as he forced himself to go faster. He was slightly out of breath when he burst onto the roof, slamming the door open.

That was when he realised that he probably should have paid better attention to the explosions.

He saw the smoke first, thick and grey as it hung in large clumps in the air. He breathed in a lungful in surprise and promptly choked on the acrid smell. He had seen smoke before, when he entered the building, but it had only been a thin stream then, _nothing_ like this.

It got worse, though. The smoke was masking a haze of heat that drifted upward from the building below him. He and Pikachu shared startled, alarmed glances before they made their way to the side of the roof and leant over the stone railing. It was immediately obvious what was wrong.

The building was on fire.

For a moment, he wondered how this could have happened. He wasn't in the stairwell for an awfully long time, so how could the building have caught fire so quickly? Then he saw Zapdos swooping by, felt thick, radiating smugness, and realisation hit; upon seeing him go inside, Zapdos had attacked the building, destroying machines and other equipment inside to create and feed the fire that had already been there. In the short time Ash had been out of sight, Zapdos had set fire to the building in an effort to drive him out into the open.

Zapdos hadn't seen him yet, but that no longer mattered. He was trapped up here on the roof, with nowhere to go. He literally had to choose between the angry Legendary attempting to fry him or the burning building.

"I'm going to say this wasn't one our best decisions, Pikachu," he said weakly, looking down at the ground; it seemed so far away.

"Pi," Pikachu agreed anxiously. Then he caught sight of something coming near. "Pika!"

Zapdos was coming back around. He still hadn't seen them, though, likely due to the thick clouds of smoke. He was flying just a little below the roof, peering through the windows as though he hoped to see Ash there.

Zapdos was about to be right below him. He needed to get hold of Zapdos somehow.

There was only one thing to do now.

"Hold on, Pikachu," he muttered, climbing onto the stone wall.

He felt Pikachu grip his shirt tightly and he drew a deep breath, watching as Zapdos came closer. This was probably going to be as equally stupid as going inside the building, but it didn't matter. He didn't have any choice now. So, when Zapdos drew close enough, he straightened his shoulders and leapt.

His timing was true. He heard shouts from below, but he couldn't concentrate on them as he reached out, almost close enough to touch Zapdos.

He felt the flash of victory first. Then Zapdos turned his head ever so slightly, and Ash realised that the Legendary had known he was there all along, that it had never been a coincidence that Zapdos had been flying so low and slowly, as though to tempt him into doing just what he had done.

So it was almost no surprise when, suddenly, Zapdos was no longer there.

It all happened in a split second, but it was like that moment stretched out far longer. Ash stared at Zapdos, barely able to believe that had just happened.

And then he and Pikachu were falling, straight through the air.

POKEMONPOKEMON

Gary knew, the moment they separated, that they had made a mistake. They had all panicked when Zapdos had come after them, and splitting up had seemed like a good idea. But Zapdos had flown straight after Ash and he remembered, abruptly, that Zapdos was meant to be looking for the trainer.

Soft footsteps behind him made him glance around; he scowled at the sight of Suicune following him. Shouldn't she be with Ash? Then again, Uxie had followed Brock and Keldeo was with Misty, so would that mean that the four of them had split up to protect the humans? That would mean, then, that Giratina was with Ash.

That was something of a relief, but Gary still quickened his steps, focused on going in the same direction as that shrieking cry. He had sworn, after watching Ash disappear under the water suddenly in Cerulean Gym while he was trying to get to Suicune, that he would not stand back and let Ash handle this alone. Ash may have the power to save the Legendary Pokémon, but he and Misty had chosen to come with him for a reason!

Eventually, he burst out into a large square, one that was surrounded by what used to be small shops with a large building that was several stories high right at the centre of it. Blinking, he looked around; Zapdos was circling the building and the area, which meant Ash was nearby, right?

"Gary, where's Ash?"

Gary turned at the call; Brock and Misty appeared to have found each other at some point, because they were both running toward him, Keldeo galloping behind them and Uxie floating in air. He shook his head, lost.

"I don't know," he admitted as they skidded to a stop beside him. "Zapdos is here, so I figure Ash is, too."

"Maybe he's hiding?" Misty suggested.

"Or maybe," Brock said, his voice far too serious, "he's in the building that Zapdos is circling and attacking."

"Wha..?"

Gary and Misty swung around just in to see Zapdos launch a controlled bolt of lightning into the building. Seconds later something exploded, and thick smoke wafted out of one of the broken windows. Zapdos let out a screeching cry of triumph and attacked again, aiming for something else. He attacked several times as they watched, horrified, until the building was ablaze.

"You know, I _really_ hope Ash isn't in there," Gary said weakly.

"If Zapdos is attacking the building, then what are the chances that he's not?" Misty asked, lips twisting into a grimace.

They stood in silence for a moment. It wasn't helping anything, but none of them knew what to do. What _could_ they do in this situation?

' _So much for being helpful…'_ Gary thought.

" _The Chosen One is nearby,"_ Uxie said, as though she was trying to reassure them. Unfortunately, that made it all the more likely that Ash was in that building. _"Giratina is also close."_

" _I can sense him!"_ Keldeo said, sounding somewhat awed. _"I can feel that he's close! I couldn't do that before!"_

"It's probably is a side effect of that blessing thing," Misty said distractedly. "Neither of you can pinpoint exactly where he is?"

" _No,"_ Uxie said as Keldeo shook his head shamefully. _"I am sorry."_

"I think I can," Brock said, his voice catching in his throat as he raised a hand to point. "Look up there, guys."

Gary's eyes followed the direction Brock was pointing and he blanched. Looking rather shocked, even from this distance, as he stared at the fire that was now roaring through the building, was Ash, leaning over the stone railing on top of the building. It seemed that Ash had escaped into the building for whatever reason, and Zapdos had taken the chance to smoke him out.

"Now what?!" Misty cried, turning to Uxie.

" _The Chosen One appears to have made his choice,"_ Uxie said. _"This is the best chance that he has of catching Zapdos."_

"Knowing Ash, he'll know _exactly_ what to do," Brock said resignedly.

"He's going to jump, isn't he?" Misty asked with a sigh.

"What? That's ridiculous, Ash isn't stupid enough to jump," Gary argued, looking up in time to watch Ash climb onto the wall. His mouth dropped open. "No, he can't be _that_ stupid!"

He really shouldn't have been surprised when Ash jumped.

"Damn it, Ash!" Gary yelled furiously, though he doubted Ash heard him as he reached for Zapdos, who was directly below him.

That was when everything went wrong. Gary could only watch, in disbelieving horror, as Zapdos moved at the last moment, almost as though he had expected Ash to be there. For a long second, Ash hung in the air, grasping at nothing.

And then he fell.

"ASH!"

Gary didn't know who yelled. It might have been Misty or Brock, or it might have been him. It might have even been all three of them. All he knew was that he was running, running for the trainer that was barely seconds away from hitting the ground, even though he knew he'd never get there in time.

Three things happened simultaneously. A blur of wind rush passed Gary, easily overtaking him. Giratina burst out of the large fountain in the centre of the square. And, with a roar and flash of red light, Charizard forced his way out of his Pokéball.

Suicune, who had run passed Gary, let out a call, and Giratina and Charizard both roared back. They turned as one, furious, to face Zapdos, and Suicune caught Ash, the momentum carrying them forwards until they crashed through one of the few unbroken windows of the burning building.

And, just like that, it was over. Gary suddenly realised that he wasn't breathing, and he gulped in a deep breath of air, his heart pounding a mile a minute. He was shaking, he noticed, and the terror of seeing Ash free fall was still thrumming through him.

But it was over, Ash was safe. Suicune was with him, and now Charizard and Giratina were facing down the enraged Zapdos. He watched, numbly, as Suicune burst from the building again on a wave of water, dousing much of the surrounding fire, Ash and Pikachu now riding on her back. She did not land on the ground, however, as Gary had expected, already gearing up to grab Ash's shoulders and demand to know what he thought he was doing. Instead, she leapt upwards, nimbly springing off the buildings to join the aerial battle, as Ash had likely asked her to do.

Gary didn't know what Ash was doing. Didn't know how to explain the shock-horror-terror that was currently going through him. It was funny, really, because all he could think about, suddenly, were the stories that he had only half believed before, the ones that he had resolved only recently to think of as true in their entirety. And he realised, then, that Ash had spoken of similarly death-defying stunts with such casual abandon that Gary hadn't really paid much attention to them at the time, too focused on the surrounding issue of what had happened to each Legendary Pokémon rather than what the trainer had done to save them.

But he was paying attention now.

"Brock," he said with forced calm.

"Yeah?" Brock asked, his mouth pressed in a thin line; he was unhappy at what had just happened, but not surprised, evidently far too used to seeing things like this.

"Before you go, we need to talk."

"I figured." Brock turned back to the air battle, faint lines of concern on his forehead. How often had he only been able to stand back and watch as his friend put his life on the line over the years? "We'll talk after, Gary."

Gary gave a jerky nod. There was so much going on right now that it was difficult to process it all. But that didn't matter right now. He drew in a deep breath and drew out a Pokéball, barely aware of Misty and Brock doing the same almost in the same second.

It was time to fulfil the promise he had made to Ash, to help in any way that he could.

He could get answers afterward.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Twelve;_ Fighting against Zapdos was the toughest battle they had faced yet, and the aftermath of it all brings with it some surprising revelations. Meanwhile, Gary begins to come to terms with the friend he thought he knew.

 **Thanks to;**

Jessaya, tanthlipsky, CrazyNinjagoFan1, Eevee, Mists, kjwolf, Kurakuma, Yami-chan and Unrealistic, KHLostEmpress, ICHeart, Bubblekins1010, Great, bankerrtx01, Dr MAD and Co, Hilte, ewertondragon and foxchick1

You guys have all been so amazing, especially those who have stuck with me and my incredibly late update schedule. Thank you for your reviews!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer;** I don't own Pokémon

 **A/N;** One moment it was August, and now it's December and _where did the time go?!_ I honestly didn't realise it had been so long since I updated. Thank you for your patience, especially with me leaving you right in the middle of the battle. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Chapter Twelve;**

While Ash hadn't expected Suicune to save him, he was far from ungrateful, and somehow not too surprised when Charizard burst out of his Pokéball. Now involved in the battle with Zapdos, he could only hold tight as Suicune bounded all over the place, ensuring that none of Zapdos' attacks could get either her or her rider.

The problem, though, was that they could not get high enough to get to Zapdos like he needed to. He needed to be on one of the flying Pokémon, but he was somewhat wary about getting close to Zapdos now, and had held off calling for Charizard for the moment. Perhaps Giratina and Charizard would be able to drive Zapdos to the ground, closer to he and Suicune.

Almost as though he was aware of that plan, however, Zapdos was managing to evade them every time they tried.

"Ash, we'll help!"

Ash glanced down, and was surprised to see his three friends down there. When had they gotten here? There wasn't time to question them, however, as Suicune leapt out of the way of another wave of electricity and his friends each threw a Pokéball, allowing Gyarados, Arcanine and Croagunk to appear in a flash of light.

Instantly, Arcanine and Croagunk leapt onto the rooves as well, while Gyarados roared from the ground, intent on providing support from there. Keldeo leapt nimbly in front of Gary, Misty and Brock, and nodded to Ash, his message clear; he would protect his friends from harm.

He couldn't hesitate any longer, he realised. He _had_ to get closer to Zapdos.

"Charizard!" he yelled.

The large flying type responded instantly, abandoning the battle to fly down to Ash and Suicune with a roar. Gently, Ash picked up the surprised Pikachu and deposited him on Suicune's head.

"Charizard, I need you to take me to Zapdos," he said seriously, and Charizard nodded. Ash turned to Pikachu and smiled at the indignant look on his face. "Pikachu, you stay here with Suicune."

"Pika!" Pikachu protested instantly, shaking his head. "Pikapi!"

"You've seen what happens, Pikachu," Ash said with a sheepish grin. "I don't think it's a good idea to be on my shoulder when that happens at this height. Charizard, I'm relying on you to catch me, alright?"

Charizard made a noise of agreement and Pikachu crossed his arms before reluctantly nodding as well, seeing the sense of what Ash was saying. Easily, Ash leapt from Suicune to Charizard, thrilled to be with the large Pokémon once more. It had been a long time since they had flown together.

"We'll be back!" he said to Pikachu as they flew off.

Now, the hardest part. With Ash officially part of the aerial battle Zapdos would instantly focus on him, which would make it hard to get close. That was where the other Pokémon would come in, though. They were all attacking from different directions, making it difficult to focus on any one area. Croakgunk, in particular, was leaping everywhere, dragging Zapdos' attention away continuously every time he turned up somewhere different. All Ash and Charizard had to do was wait for the right moment.

"Try and fly over the top of Zapdos, Charizard!" he called over the wind rushing passed his ears.

He thought he heard Charizard roar back understanding, but it was hard to tell over all the other sounds in the area. Seconds later, however, they were flying up, higher than the battle, unnoticed by even Zapdos, who was currently occupied with fending off Giratina's attacks.

"Let's see if we can get closer," Ash said, leaning forward. "Hopefully Zapdos won't notice us."

Charizard beat his wings, forcibly slowing himself down, and then dived slowly, circling around as he looked for his moment. He knew what his trainer wanted to do, and he needed to make it as safe as possible.

Finally, they saw it. Zapdos turned his head, facing away from them, and Charizard rushed down, intending on taking those few precious seconds for granted. Ash was already getting ready, tensing himself in preparation, and, as soon as they drew even with Zapdos, he leapt the short distance from Charizard to Zapdos' back.

Immediately he hooked his arms around Zapdos' neck as the bird Pokémon screeched in surprise, bucking at the sudden weight on his back. The other Pokémon quickly backed off, not daring to attack while Ash was in range, until only Charizard was nearby, preparing to catch Ash if he fell or was blasted backwards.

But Ash wasn't intending to fall. He drew up every bit of experience he had with riding on the backs of Pokémon and tightened his hold as Zapdos attempted to throw him off. Closing his eyes, he concentrated hard, trying to bring up that familiar warmth that had rushed through him every time he had touched a Legendary Pokémon for the first time. It was there, he could feel it simmering somewhere deep inside him, and he tried to ignore the fury and hate he could feel emanating from Zapdos.

' _I'll save you Zapdos,'_ he thought fiercely. _'You and everyone else!'_

Except… the power wasn't working. He could sense it, could almost feel it flowing from him to Zapdos. But nothing was happening, not the way it had the last four times. Zapdos was still shrieking and trying to get rid of him, and he could still feel his rage.

What was going on?

Panicking slightly, because the entire plan hinged on his ability to do this, Ash screwed his eyes shut tightly and tried to dig deeper within himself. Why was he suddenly unable to do this? It didn't make sense! He could feel that flash of building heat, sense the way it was connecting him to Zapdos, but nothing was changing.

Was Zapdos too angry? But Suicune had been angry too, and he had saved her. Reluctantly, Ash opened his eyes… and got his second shock.

He and Zapdos were glowing with a pulsing blue light.

It was the same colour that had appeared every time he had tried this. But usually it was just a quick flash of light that he barely caught before he was being blasted backward. He had never seen it light up this.

Was it getting brighter? It was though it was getting more and more powerful, and he realised it _was_ trying to fight off the darkness that was overtaking Zapdos. For some reason, though, it was taking longer than it ever had before, and he shuddered as a wave of deep tiredness suddenly washed over him. What had Uxie said, after he had saved Suicune? He had used more aura in one day than he ever had, and it had driven him to the brink of exhaustion. Yet now he was feeling similarly after only a few moments?

The only answer ( _'Take_ that _, Gary, I_ can _think logically!'_ ) was that he was using more aura that he normally did in a short space of time. Something was making it take longer with Zapdos, something…

It was then that Zapdos got tired of being unable to throw him off. Ash only had time to blink before Zapdos gave a chilling cry and let off a close-range Thunderbolt.

The electricity that zapped through him was intense, and he almost lost his concentration, unable to help the cry of pain escaping him. He could feel Zapdos moving, but he was struggling to comprehend anything, suddenly, except agony and aura. It was far more powerful than any of Pikachu's shocks; the only time Pikachu had ever come close to this type of power was when he had shocked him with intent to harm, for one reason or another.

But this… this was another thing all together. Ash could feel the malicious intent behind the attack, and he could do little more than hold tighter as it went on and on and on, black spot beginning to crowd his vision…

' _I won't give up!'_

He didn't feel the attack stop. What he did feel was the wave of heat that went through him, so intense that it was almost more painful than Zapdos' attack.

' _Come back, Zapdos! Fight it off!'_

Zapdos let out one last shriek, which echoed in the air hauntingly. The world stood still for a brief moment as the seconds hung in the balance, just waiting until something happened.

And then the world exploded.

Later, Ash wouldn't even remember landing.

POKEMONPOKEMON

Misty didn't wait to see whether Gary and Brock were with her. She was running as soon as she saw Ash go flying in one direction, still glowing faintly, not even pausing to consider Zapdos as he went in the other. Charizard made a frantic grab for Ash, as confused as everyone else by the suddenness of it all, but he missed, and the trainer went crashing through the window of a bakery, disappearing from sight.

"Pikapi!"

If she had thought she was fast, she had forgotten that Pikachu was currently riding on the back of one of the fastest Pokémon in existence. Suicune flashed to the ground and Pikachu leapt off, disappearing into the shop as well and calling for Ash desperately. Misty almost wished that she could go through the window, too, but instead she paused momentarily to wrench open the door before darting inside.

It didn't look like it had been a comfortable landing, though at least he had hit the wall rather than any tables or shelves. Ash was slumped against the wall, and Pikachu was shaking him; if she could understand Pokespeech, he would no doubt be begging his trainer to wake up.

"He's unconscious," she said tersely to Brock and Gary as they entered behind her, rushing forward.

"Wait," Brock said, catching her arm. "He's probably injured. I might only treat Pokémon, but I know a thing or two about first aid, as you know."

Misty forced herself to relax and nodded, stepping aside to let Brock crouch down beside Ash first. Uxie hovering in the air over his head, and she felt the irrational urge to yell at the small Pokémon and ask her why she had stayed on the ground with them while Ash risked his life in the air.

But it wasn't Uxie's fault. All four Legendary Pokémon had been there, and not one of them had been able to prevent this. They had all tried their best, but Zapdos had been too angry, too powerful. She looked around and saw that they were all there; Suicune was still at the window, staring in solemnly, Keldeo was fidgeting anxiously in the doorway, and Giratina had landed on the ground, waiting. They were all there, hoping that the one they were supposed to protect would be alright.

"Uxie, what happened out there?" Gary asked finally as Brock checked over Ash. "Why did it take so long for Ash to use his aura on Zapdos?"

"… _I do not know for sure,"_ Uxie said slowly. _"Zapdos has been under control for a long time, however."_

"So it takes more time and effort when the Pokémon has been corrupted for longer?" Misty asked incredulously.

" _I believe that might be the case."_

Finally, Brock sat back, looking a little perplexed.

"Well, Ash is a little bruised, but otherwise fine," Brock said, confused. "Which doesn't make sense, after a landing like that."

" _I cloaked the Chosen One in psychic energy moments before he hit the house,"_ Uxie said quietly. _"Between my power and his aura, the Chosen One remained safe."_

"Thank you, Uxie," Brock said, heartfelt, with a small smile.

Misty wished that the small Legendary had thought to tell them this while they were stressing about how badly hurt Ash would be, but she had come to realise, over the short time that she had been with them, that Uxie was neither talkative nor prone to saying anything without prompt. Her role was mostly advisory, answering questions when they were unsure and not offering information unless she felt it was necessary… though she had shown today that she would act to protect them and Ash without question.

She supposed that was the difference between ordinary Pokémon, most of whom had grown up with or near humans, and a Legendary Pokémon that had very little human contact over the course of a very long life.

The sound of a groan jolted her sharply from her thoughts, and Misty looked over to see Ash stirring. His eyes flickered open and he attempted to move, only to wince; the aura hadn't protected him from the blazing lightning attacks, it seemed.

"Ow, what hit me?" he asked dazedly.

"You hit a wall," Brock said, deadpan, as he helped Ash sit up. "And a Legendary Pokémon."

Ash blinked, looking confused for a moment, and then realisation flared across his face as memory returned to him. Heedless of his own aches and pains, he straightened quickly.

"Zapdos!" he said. "Is Zapdos okay?"

Misty, Gary and Brock glanced at each other. They hadn't really thought much about Zapdos, to be honest, because they had been too busy trying to get to Ash. Now that he brought it up, however, what _had_ happened to Zapdos?

As if in answer, they heard a loud cry from outside. Ash struggled to his feet and, rolling his eyes, Brock helped him up and allowed him to lean on him as they made their way out of the small shop. As they stepped out of the door, Zapdos landed on the pavement beside the fountain, causing Gyarados to look warily at him and tense, ready to protect both his trainer and her friends if necessary.

It didn't look like Zapdos was about to attack, however. He regarded them solemnly, that awful, shadowy presence gone, and Misty realised that she was breathing a sigh of relief. Slowly Zapdos bowed his head and, grinning, Ash reached out to pat him.

"It's fine, Zapdos," he said, and Misty wondered how it was he knew exactly what to say. He had done it with Beedrill, too, she suddenly remembered, though she hadn't thought much of at the time. She doubted _he_ had thought about it, either. "We're all fine, now. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Zapdos let out a sound that could only have been a soft croon before straightening. He directed a short nod toward the other Legendary Pokémon before spreading his wings and taking off.

"Where's he going?" Gary asked, startled.

" _He is aware that he is unwelcome here for now,"_ Uxie said, and Misty narrowed her eyes when she noticed Ash had also opened his mouth to answer, seconds too late. _"He will re-join us on the way to Samiya, which is located near his island."_

"That means you could get a boat to Shamouti Island," Brock said thoughtfully, mentally tracking the journey as he remembered the story Ash and Misty had told him long ago. "You can get some supplies there, and maybe a guide."

"That sounds like a good idea," Misty agreed. "Except…" She gestured helplessly to the wreckage around her. "It might be a while before we can get a boat from Vermillion City."

"I'm sure we can come up with something for you."

Everyone started, not expecting a new voice to suddenly enter the conversation. Swinging around, Misty noticed that Officer Jenny was standing, with her arms crossed, near the building Ash had jumped from. How long had she been there? And, beside her… 

"Lance!" Ash exclaimed, eyes wide. "Officer Jenny told us you wouldn't be here for ages."

"I asked her to say that," Lance said bluntly, his expression serious as he took a step forward. "I know you, Ash… every time you appear somewhere, something happens. I wanted to see why you and your friends were sneaking into Vermillion City. Officer Jenny and I followed you all here."

So, he and Officer Jenny had seen everything that had occurred here… including the strange aura that Ash was using to save the Legendary Pokémon. Unconsciously, Misty took a half step to the side, almost as though she was trying to shield Ash from the Champion, barely noticing as Gary and Brock did the same.

Lance smiled slightly, noticing the protective actions. The Legendary Pokémon already present were staring at him steadily; not one of them had fled, despite his sudden appearance, and it was all too apparent that they would protect Ash too if he made any sudden movements.

"If I asked, would you answer?" he asked, uncrossing his arms to appear more open to the wary group.

"I… maybe?" Ash said unsurely.

Lance couldn't help but laugh. "Ash, you're obviously doing something very important. You're helping the Legendary Pokémon somehow and, as a G-Man, I won't fault you for it, or get in your way. I won't ask any more. But… please know that I am available if you ever need help, at any moment."

Ash smiled, touched. "Thanks, Lance."

"Don't thank me yet," Lance said, pulling a slip of paper and stepping forward to hold it out to Ash. "Take this; with this number, you can reach me at any time."

Surprised, Ash took the paper. To be given the contact number of a Champion… it showed how much trust Lance had in Ash, that he was willing to let him go on his way, despite the evidence that Ash was doing something incredibly dangerous. Misty couldn't help but grin at the way Gary's jaw was dropping; he'd never met Lance in person, and didn't know why the Champion and his childhood friend had such a good rapport.

"Now, you need a boat to Shamouti, right?" Lance asked, stepping back.

"If you can manage it," Misty said, finally relaxing.

"I certainly can," Lance said with a nod. "But not until tomorrow morning." He eyed Ash, who was still leaning on Brock. "I think you all might do well with a rest, anyway. The officers are currently directing people back into the city, and Nurse Joy has already been told to expect you all. Please get some sleep tonight, and meet me down at the pier tomorrow."

"Thanks, Lance," Ash said again, grinning. "For everything."

"It's my pleasure," Lance said with a nod.

"I'll take you all to the Pokémon centre," Officer Jenny said, and Misty suddenly noticed that there was a police car half hidden on one of the side streets. "Please come with me."

There wasn't much to say to that. As Officer Jenny ushered them all to the car, Suicune darted off and Giratina melted back into the fountain as Ash, Misty, Gary and Brock returned their Pokémon. Pikachu jumped onto Misty shoulder, eyeing his trainer worriedly, who was being all but carried by this point, his eyes drifting closed even as he got into the car.

As such, it wasn't much of a surprise when Ash's head dropped onto Brock's shoulder as the car started. He was likely still exhausted from his excessive use of aura in a short period of time and, remembering what Ash had said about using too much aura, as well as Lucario and Sir Aaron's fate, Misty found herself watching him closely throughout the entire drive.

It was difficult to persuade Ash to wake up enough to get out of the car and into the surprisingly intact centre, but they managed between the three of them, and he dropped off to sleep as soon as he landed on the bed in the room Nurse Joy showed them to, curling up around Pikachu, who seemed intent on staying with his trainer. Keldeo and Uxie, who had disappeared after they got into the car, appeared again at that point, coming in through the window, and settled in the room as well, their intent to stay with the trainer clear.

Despite the fact that they wanted to follow Ash's example, Brock turned and left the room after making sure the trainer was alright, Gary at his heels, and Misty found herself drifting after them. As soon as the door was closed, Brock turned to them seriously.

"I'm going back home tomorrow," he announced, and Misty's heart clenched; it had been good to have Brock's steady presence with them for even the short time he had travelled with them. "I'll ask Nurse Joy if I can use the kitchen so that you'll have some extra supplies." He turned to look at Gary. "If you'd like to help, we can talk then."

"I'll help," Gary said, nodding.

With that, the two turned and walked downstairs. Misty knew what they were going to discuss; Gary wanted to know just how perilous Ash's journey had been up until this point, just how reckless he had been in everyday situations. And Brock would tell him, because Gary was already starting to suspect what Ash had been like and probably needed to know how often he would have to save Ash from himself.

Misty wavered for a moment and then followed. She had been present for the first part of Ash's journey, but…

She was interested in knowing exactly what she had missed, too.

POKEMONPOKEMON

Gary wished he could say he was surprised by what he was hearing. But he had already realised a few home truths about Ash in the last few days, and Brock was only confirming his own thoughts. He knew Brock was only skimming over situations, providing examples and mentioning, briefly, that things like that had happened more than once. But it all came down to one thing.

When it came down to the safety of Pokémon or the people he cared about, Ash was more than willing to throw himself into the line of fire.

Had Ash always been so self-sacrificing, he wondered? He cast his mind back to the small, obnoxious kid he had been friends with, the one who laughed too loud at the cinema and declared that he was going to be the best Pokémon trainer ever despite not even remembering that Pidgey was a flying-type. He wanted to say no, that kid had never been like that.

Until he remembered a summer camp when Ash appeared from the forest with a sniffling girl in tow, the directors panicking because they had lost a second child while they were searching for the first. Or the time some older kids had been teasing Ash because his dad was never around, and he had been all set to cry and run until they started on his mother, and then he had thrown himself into a fight (in which he came out worst off, naturally) with reckless abandon.

Or the time a Kangaskhan had rampaged on the preserve and Ash, who had been there that day, had thrown himself straight in front of it to grab a small Nidoran frozen in fear.

' _Huh,'_ he thought numbly. _'Ash has_ always _been like that, hasn't he?'_

He'd just never really noticed because there hadn't ever been much cause for that side of Ash to come out when they were children.

He wanted to storm up to Ash's room, wake him up, and maybe yell at him for being so reckless. His heart had all but stopped when he watched Ash leap from that building, and everything afterward had not made things any better. Even now, his mind was replaying, over and over, the moment Ash reached for Zapdos and missed before he plunged down toward the unforgiving ground…

Yelling at Ash, however, wasn't going to do him any good. Ash probably wasn't even aware that he was doing anything wrong. He could almost see Ash's reaction now, if he brought up the dangerous stunts he had pulled today. He'd look at him, confused, and say. "But I'm alright, aren't I? So everything's fine, Gary."

Except it might not be fine next time. How had Brock and Misty and everyone else who had travelled with Ash dealt with all this? Then he remembered how Brock had said he had gotten used to it, that running around and solving all the problems that came their way was _normal_ when travelling with Ash, and that he'd ended up being a little reckless, himself, along the way as well. Seeing Misty nod in agreement, the only contribution she'd made to the conversation at that point from where she'd been quietly listening, had not been reassuring.

From what Gary had gathered from Brock, Ash was reckless and self-sacrificing, and his friends managed to get pulled into this, as though he was the strong tide that you simply couldn't swim against and had to swim with if you didn't want to go under. It was a fairly apt metaphor; Ash had always been a whirlwind intent on taking everyone with him that he could.

"You aright, Gary?" Brock asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

Gary looked down at the carrots he was chopping, noting that they were all different sizes, and smiled slightly before looking up and nodded.

"Yeah, just contemplating that Ash is more of an idiot than I thought he was," he said dryly.

"That's one way to put it," Misty sighed, propping her chin on her hand; Brock had utterly refused to let her anywhere near the food, and had warned Gary that he wasn't to let either Ash or Misty have anything to do with the cooking… ever.

"Little Ashy-boy kind of grew up, though, didn't he?" Gary continued after a moment, disquieted. "I never even noticed."

"…'Grew up' might be going a bit far," Brock said with an unexpected laugh. "You know what the best thing is? You didn't notice because he never changed." He gave Gary a warm smile. "That's worth it all, right?"

Gary blinked at him, stunned. He was right; even after everything he had been through, even after all the stories and the pressure and the danger, Ash had barely changed at all. He had gotten a little more mature, a little more prone to thinking his decisions through… but he was still reckless, and foolhardy, and stupidly cheerful over everything, and easy to tease. It was somewhat amazing, to be honest.

Though recent events had forced him to acknowledge that Ash Ketchum was far more amazing than he had ever given him credit for.

"We'll just have to have his back," Misty said, smiling. "Just like always." She laughed. "He really can't do anything on his own."

"True," Gary said, amused. "We'll just have to get stronger so he doesn't have to keep doing stupid things."

"Good luck with that," Brock and Misty chorused.

As they laughed, the serious air that had hung around them dissipated. It didn't stop the fact that Gary knew, just as Brock and Misty did, that Ash was unstoppable when he was truly determined and that, sometimes, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything at all. But Ash wasn't alone in this, he never had been.

Ash's job was to protect the Legendary Pokémon? Fine.

Gary's job, then, would be to protect Ash. And that was not something he was ever going to fail again.

 **Coming Up;** _Chapter Thirteen;_ With Zapdos on their side, the team leave for the Orange Islands, determined to get to Manaphy. But more awaits them within those familiar waters than they expected.

 **Thanks to;**

bankerrtx01, FabulousMoonie, Dr Mad and Co, 23StellaOrgana, Hilte, L'assassin orange, philly cheese dude, Kiri Kaitou Clover, Bubblekins1010, Aera Fairy Light, Yami-chan and Unrealistic, Mists, Kiomori, multifangirl20, Anime100, The Forgotten Silent Maiden

Thank you for all your reviews. Next chapter, I swear I'm going to try something out called 'replying to your reviews when they come in rather than months later when I post a new chapter'. Promise!


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